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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pit — in a race
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. cell — in biology
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cell — a phone
  15. pound — a weight
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. kid — to tease
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. pit — a hole
  22. key — in music
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pound — for dogs

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