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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pit — a hole
  5. season — of the year
  6. track — a path
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. season — in sport
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. wake — a trail
  11. track — a song
  12. tear — to rip
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. pit — in a race
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. track — to keep track
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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