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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. tear — to rip
  3. club — for dancing
  4. lie — to recline
  5. prune — to trim
  6. can — a tin
  7. present — the time now
  8. club — a group
  9. date — the fruit
  10. club — for golf
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pit — a hole
  13. present — there
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pit — in a race
  16. can — a tin
  17. tear — from crying
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. tear — from crying
  21. present — a gift
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. can — to be able to

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