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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: toast · trunk · fall · fork · present · pit · mine · lash

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. pit — in a race
  5. fall — to drop
  6. toast — bread
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pit — a hole
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. fork — in a road
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. fall — the season
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. present — the time now
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. present — a gift
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. toast — the most admired

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