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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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Word bank
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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: straw · rock · ground · march · trunk · bowl · pit · object

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. ground — the earth
  3. march — the month
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. march — the month
  6. object — a thing
  7. pit — a hole
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. ground — crushed
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. object — to protest
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — music
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. ground — a position
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. object — an aim
  22. march — music
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. rock — a stone

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