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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 124 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bound — tied together
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pit — a hole
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bound — obliged
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bound — certain
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pit — in a race
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. field — farmland

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