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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pit — in a race
  4. dip — to sink
  5. court — of law
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. court — for sport
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. court — of a king
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. season — of the year
  15. hand — in cards
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. season — in sport
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. nail — on a finger

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