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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. last — final
  4. capital — money
  5. pit — a hole
  6. staff — a stick
  7. prune — to trim
  8. last — to go on
  9. staff — employees
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rest — what's left
  12. roll — a list
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rest — a break
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. pit — in a race
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. rest — what's left
  21. last — finally
  22. staff — employees
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. capital — a city

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