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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. net — for catching
  3. pit — in a race
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bound — certain
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pit — a hole
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. pitch — completely

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