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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. land — a country
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. mate — a friend
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. season — of the year
  10. mate — to breed
  11. foot — a measure
  12. land — to come down
  13. content — happy
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — in a race
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. land — ground
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — the amount
  23. mate — a partner
  24. nail — for a hammer

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