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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. roll — a list
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. rock — a stone
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rash — hasty
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. rash — a series
  12. pit — a hole
  13. rock — music
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. content — happy
  17. content — the amount
  18. pit — in a race
  19. roll — a cake
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — a position
  23. wind — moving air
  24. ground — crushed

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