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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. lean — to bend
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. key — in music
  5. lean — thin
  6. key — the most important part
  7. pit — in a race
  8. club — a group
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — the animal
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. club — for golf
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. key — for a lock
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pit — a hole
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bat — in an idiom

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