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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. season — of the year
  3. pit — in a race
  4. season — in sport
  5. pit — a hole
  6. cue — for pool
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cue — a signal
  12. rest — a break
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rest — what's left
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cold — an illness

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