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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 116 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. shower — to wash
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pop — to visit
  10. spell — magic
  11. net — for catching
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pop — music
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pop — soda
  19. net — after costs
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. shower — rain
  22. pit — in a race
  23. net — in sport
  24. bear — the animal

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