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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pound — a weight
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. foot — a measure
  7. pit — a hole
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pop — soda
  11. mine — for digging
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. kid — child
  16. pit — in a race
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pop — to visit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pop — music

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