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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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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — a thing
  3. prune — to trim
  4. face — to point toward
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pit — in a race
  7. mate — a partner
  8. roll — a list
  9. mate — a friend
  10. object — to protest
  11. pit — a hole
  12. face — part of the head
  13. prune — to trim
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. face — to confront

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