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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pit — in a race
  4. fine — high quality
  5. pit — a hole
  6. firm — decided
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fine — all right
  10. rest — a break
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. sharp — clever
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. rest — what's left
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. firm — steady
  23. staff — employees
  24. firm — a company

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