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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. pit — a hole
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. kid — child
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mine — for digging
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. prune — to trim
  22. season — in sport
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. game — wild animals

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