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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. can — to be able to
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tube — the underground
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. tube — a container
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bear — the animal
  12. can — a tin
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. kick — in football
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. can — a tin
  24. trunk — of a car

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