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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cap — a hat
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. clip — to cut
  8. cap — of ice
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pit — in a race
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. clip — for paper
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. foot — a measure
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. clip — a video
  21. pit — a hole
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fork — in a road
  24. foot — part of the body

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