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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. spell — letters
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. land — ground
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. lean — thin
  8. fine — high quality
  9. spell — magic
  10. lean — to bend
  11. dip — to sink
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. pit — in a race
  17. land — to come down
  18. prune — to trim
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spell — a short time
  22. fine — all right
  23. pit — a hole
  24. land — a country

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