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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 water is too ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pit — in a race
  4. rush — hurry
  5. capital — money
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. face — to point toward
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. face — part of the head
  17. capital — a city
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. face — to confront
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. pit — a hole
  24. season — of the year

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