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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wound — an injury
  5. date — the fruit
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. march — the month
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. march — the month
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pit — in a race
  21. wound — an injury
  22. squash — the sport
  23. march — music
  24. date — on the calendar

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