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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. file — a line of people
  5. chip — to eat
  6. prune — to trim
  7. file — a tool
  8. chest — a box
  9. fall — the season
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. degree — an amount
  13. chip — for betting
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bear — the animal
  16. file — a document
  17. degree — temperature
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pit — a hole
  24. fall — to drop

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