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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pit — a hole
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. kick — in football
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pit — in a race
  24. stand — to bear

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