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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 116 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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — a practice
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bat — the animal
  12. kid — to tease
  13. pit — a hole
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pit — in a race
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. kid — child
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. trunk — of a car

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