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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. band — a music group
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. file — a tool
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. capital — a city
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pop — music
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. capital — money
  18. prune — to trim
  19. file — a document
  20. prune — to trim
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. wax — to grow
  23. file — a line of people
  24. band — a ring

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