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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — in a race
  3. spell — letters
  4. net — for catching
  5. shower — rain
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. shower — to wash
  10. hand — in cards
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pit — a hole
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. cue — a hint
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com