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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. spring — the season
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. key — the most important part
  5. rule — a law
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pit — a hole
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. spring — of water
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. spring — a coil
  13. rule — government
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. club — a group
  17. key — in music
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — for golf
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. clip — to cut
  24. key — for a lock

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