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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pit — a hole
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. sharp — clever
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pop — music
  10. prune — to trim
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pop — soda
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. spell — letters
  16. pit — in a race
  17. spell — magic
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pop — to visit
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. straw — a straw man

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