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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. club — for golf
  4. present — a gift
  5. club — for dancing
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. march — the month
  9. lean — to bend
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. lean — thin
  12. ball — a dance
  13. present — there
  14. ball — a great time
  15. march — music
  16. pit — in a race
  17. march — the month
  18. prune — to trim
  19. band — a ring
  20. club — a group
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. band — a music group
  23. present — the time now
  24. lean — to rest against

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