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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. season — of the year
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pop — to visit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. season — in sport
  10. pit — a hole
  11. file — a line of people
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. file — a document
  14. pit — in a race
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pop — soda
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. foot — a measure
  22. file — a tool
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. foot — part of the body

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