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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a hole
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. prune — to trim
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. clip — a video
  7. track — a song
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. craft — boats
  10. clip — for paper
  11. track — a path
  12. board — a committee
  13. craft — a skill
  14. clip — to cut
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. capital — money
  17. track — to keep track
  18. board — to get on
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. capital — a city
  24. sharp — clever

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