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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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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: trunk · pit · squash · shower · chest · mark · straw · racket

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. mark — a grade
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. chest — of your body
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. squash — to crush
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. squash — the sport
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. shower — to wash
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. chest — a box
  21. shower — rain
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pit — in a race
  24. mark — a trace

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