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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. plane — a tool
  5. spell — magic
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. saw — the tool
  8. season — of the year
  9. saw — the tool
  10. spell — letters
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. spell — a short time
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. pit — in a race
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pit — a hole
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. season — in sport

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