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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pit — in a race
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. cue — for pool
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. cue — a hint
  11. file — a tool
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. cue — a signal
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. file — a document
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. wax — to grow
  24. squash — to crush

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