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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. march — the month
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. pit — in a race
  7. march — the month
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. hand — help
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. hand — in cards
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bore — to tire
  16. march — music
  17. bore — to drill
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pit — a hole
  24. cell — in biology

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