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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pit — a hole
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bark — to shout
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. clip — a video
  9. pit — in a race
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. prune — to trim
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. club — a group
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. prune — to trim
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. clip — to cut
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. club — for dancing
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bark — of a tree

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