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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pit — in a race
  5. file — a line of people
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. file — a tool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. game — a match
  12. fine — all right
  13. pit — a hole
  14. game — wild animals
  15. file — a document
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. prune — to trim
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bear — the animal
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — the earth
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fine — high quality

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