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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: trunk · chair · pit · game · cell · content · bulb · track

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. content — the amount
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cell — a phone
  12. track — a song
  13. bulb — for light
  14. content — happy
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. chair — a leader
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bulb — for light
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. track — a path
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. game — a match

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