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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. court — of law
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pass — a permit
  5. current — happening now
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. clip — a video
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. court — of a king
  12. current — of water
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. court — for sport
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a hole
  19. current — electric
  20. clip — to cut
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pass — to spend time

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