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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mug — a face
  4. ground — crushed
  5. vault — a safe
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pit — a hole
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. suit — in cards
  10. last — to go on
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a cup
  14. ground — the earth
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. suit — clothes
  18. last — final
  19. wind — moving air
  20. suit — to fit
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — in a race
  23. last — finally
  24. ground — a position

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