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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · trunk · cap · pit · club · lash · bay · charge

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. charge — in control
  6. pit — a hole
  7. shower — to wash
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — a price
  10. club — a group
  11. shower — rain
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. club — for golf
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. pit — in a race
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. club — for dancing

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