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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. hand — in cards
  3. prune — to trim
  4. hand — help
  5. pit — in a race
  6. lean — thin
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cap — a hat
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — to breed
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lean — to bend
  15. pop — soda
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pop — music
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mate — a partner
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. pop — to visit
  24. cap — of ice

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