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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 · fall · saw · trunk · mug · land · ruler · clip

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. pit — in a race
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. mug — to rob
  6. pit — a hole
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. clip — to cut
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. land — a country
  14. clip — for paper
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. clip — a video
  17. mug — a cup
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. saw — the tool
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. fall — the season
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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