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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. spell — a short time
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. swing — to play on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pit — in a race
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. march — the month
  14. swing — music
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. march — music
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. march — the month
  19. spell — letters
  20. swing — in golf
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. spell — magic

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