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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.

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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. tube — a container
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. row — a line
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. staff — employees
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. drill — army training
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cap — a hat
  14. pit — a hole
  15. staff — a stick
  16. drill — a practice
  17. cap — of ice
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. row — to paddle
  20. drill — the tool
  21. staff — employees
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. tube — the underground
  24. cap — a lid

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