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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a hole
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. wake — a trail
  20. vault — a safe
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. degree — temperature

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