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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. spring — of water
  4. ball — a dance
  5. plane — a tool
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pit — in a race
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. prune — to trim
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bass — low music
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pit — a hole
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. spring — the season
  23. bass — the fish
  24. ball — a great time

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