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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pit — a hole
  4. net — in sport
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. pit — in a race
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. fall — the season
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bore — to drill
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. net — after costs
  17. can — a tin
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fall — to drop
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. fall — to drop
  23. net — for catching
  24. bore — to tire

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