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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 116 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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 — a hole
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. drill — army training
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. craft — boats
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. season — of the year
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. season — in sport
  15. drill — the tool
  16. track — a song
  17. craft — a skill
  18. snap — to click
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. drill — a practice
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a path
  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