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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. pit — in a race
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. mate — to breed
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. mate — a friend
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mate — a partner
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. fork — in a road
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chair — a leader
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. pit — a hole

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