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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. charge — in control
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. clip — a video
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. charge — electricity
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. current — electric
  13. fine — all right
  14. current — happening now
  15. last — to go on
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. fine — high quality
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. pit — in a race
  21. current — of water
  22. charge — a price
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. pit — a fruit stone

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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