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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. tear — from crying
  3. firm — a company
  4. pit — in a race
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. sharp — clever
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pit — a hole
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. firm — decided
  16. cue — for pool
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. tear — from crying
  19. perch — the fish
  20. game — a match
  21. tear — to rip
  22. game — wild animals
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. firm — steady

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