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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. pop — to visit
  4. game — wild animals
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. prune — to trim
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to click
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. craft — boats
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. craft — a skill
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. game — a match
  22. pit — in a race
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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