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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 116 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. pit — a hole
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. prune — to trim
  11. net — after costs
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rock — music
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — in sport
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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