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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · sharp · rush · pit · chair · snap · court · pass

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. court — of a king
  3. pit — in a race
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pass — a permit
  9. sharp — clever
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. chair — a leader
  14. court — for sport
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to click
  17. court — of law
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pit — a fruit 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