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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. object — a thing
  4. pitch — completely
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. spell — magic
  7. pit — a hole
  8. object — an aim
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. spell — letters
  15. dip — to sink
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. object — to protest
  20. pit — in a race
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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