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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pit — a hole
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pit — in a race
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. stock — goods
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. prune — to trim
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. stock — shares
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. prune — to trim
  24. foot — a measure

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