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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — in a race
  7. game — a match
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a plant
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. game — wild animals
  16. fine — high quality
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cell — in biology
  22. present — a gift
  23. root — of a word
  24. fine — all right

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