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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. suit — in cards
  3. spell — letters
  4. suit — to fit
  5. cue — a hint
  6. prune — to trim
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cue — for pool
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. kid — child
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pit — in a race
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. suit — clothes
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spell — magic
  21. kid — to tease
  22. spell — a short time
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. cue — a signal

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