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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. pop — soda
  6. land — ground
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. dip — to sink
  10. cap — a lid
  11. lean — thin
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pit — in a race
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cap — a hat
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. lean — to bend
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pop — music
  22. cap — of ice
  23. land — a country
  24. land — to come down

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