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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pit — a hole
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. dip — to sink
  5. pit — in a race
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wound — an injury
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mate — a friend
  10. kid — to tease
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mate — a partner
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. kid — child
  21. mate — to breed
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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