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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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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: pit · key · trunk · lie · patient · pop · sharp · cap

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pit — a hole
  3. sharp — clever
  4. lie — to recline
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. pop — music
  7. key — for a lock
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. cap — a lid
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. key — the most important part
  17. cap — a hat
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pit — in a race
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. key — in music
  23. pop — soda
  24. cap — of ice

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