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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. suit — to fit
  4. pit — a hole
  5. suit — clothes
  6. mug — to rob
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mug — a face
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. net — in sport
  13. mug — a cup
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pit — in a race
  17. snap — to click
  18. net — after costs
  19. suit — in cards
  20. tear — from crying
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. net — for catching
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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