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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. kid — child
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — in a race
  8. land — ground
  9. bank — for money
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. plane — a tool
  14. land — a country
  15. bank — of a river
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. land — to come down
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bank — for money
  24. mug — a face

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