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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. drill — army training
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pit — in a race
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pit — a hole
  11. ground — a position
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. march — the month
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. drill — the tool
  17. march — music
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. march — the month
  21. snap — to click
  22. ground — the earth
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. ground — crushed

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