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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: pit · bound · bore · bat · pop · snap · march · trunk

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. bore — to tire
  3. march — music
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pop — to visit
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pop — music
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pop — soda
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bound — certain
  20. snap — to click
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bound — obliged
  24. trunk — of a car

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