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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. cap — a lid
  3. content — the amount
  4. cap — a hat
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. shower — to wash
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. shower — rain
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cell — in biology
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. content — happy
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. face — to point toward
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. plane — a tool
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. face — to confront
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pit — a hole

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