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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. hand — help
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pit — a hole
  7. file — a tool
  8. rest — what's left
  9. last — to go on
  10. pit — in a race
  11. file — a line of people
  12. last — final
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. hand — in cards
  18. file — a document
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rest — a break
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. last — finally

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