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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. ground — a position
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bat — the animal
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. prune — to trim
  13. suit — in cards
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. ground — crushed
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. suit — to fit
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pit — in a race
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. suit — clothes
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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