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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. can — a tin
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. prune — to trim
  6. firm — decided
  7. prune — to trim
  8. court — of a king
  9. bark — to shout
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. court — of law
  12. pit — a hole
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. firm — a company
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a document
  19. can — to be able to
  20. firm — steady
  21. court — for sport
  22. can — a tin
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. file — a line of people

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