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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pit — a hole
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cap — a lid
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. prune — to trim
  12. firm — decided
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fork — in a road
  15. cap — a hat
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. mine — for digging
  18. last — final
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — a company
  21. cap — of ice
  22. last — finally
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. tube — a container

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