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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. chest — a box
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bank — for money
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. chest — of your body
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pit — in a race
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bank — for money
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. season — of the year
  15. cell — a phone
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. season — in sport
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bank — of a river
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. sharp — clever
  24. cell — in biology

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