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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. last — final
  3. present — the time now
  4. pit — a hole
  5. last — to go on
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. root — of a plant
  8. present — a gift
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. root — of a word
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — a trail
  15. present — there
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. root — the cause
  20. last — finally
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bound — certain

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