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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. fine — all right
  4. swing — to play on
  5. prune — to trim
  6. spring — a coil
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rest — what's left
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. land — a country
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. swing — music
  13. rest — what's left
  14. spring — the season
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. fine — high quality
  17. land — to come down
  18. prune — to trim
  19. swing — in golf
  20. rest — a break
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. spring — of water
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. land — ground

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