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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. face — to point toward
  3. court — of law
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pit — a hole
  6. scale — size or range
  7. face — part of the head
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. kid — child
  10. face — to confront
  11. court — of a king
  12. plane — a tool
  13. track — a path
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — in music
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. track — a song
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. court — for sport
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. track — to keep track
  24. trunk — of a tree

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