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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. march — the month
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. can — to be able to
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. march — the month
  12. can — a tin
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. branch — a division
  15. pit — a hole
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. can — a tin
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. march — music
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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