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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. pit — in a race
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. pit — a hole
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bear — the animal
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pitch — completely
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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