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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bore — to tire
  4. pit — in a race
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. craft — boats
  8. pitch — completely
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. craft — a skill
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to drill
  17. land — a country
  18. prune — to trim

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