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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. suit — to fit
  3. object — an aim
  4. pit — in a race
  5. chest — of your body
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. chest — a box
  10. object — to protest
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. object — a thing
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. chest — of your body
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bass — low music
  19. suit — clothes
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. suit — in cards
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pit — a hole

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