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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pit — in a race
  4. court — of law
  5. track — a song
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. track — to keep track
  9. court — for sport
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. branch — a division
  17. court — of a king
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pit — a hole
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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