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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. land — ground
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. root — of a plant
  8. land — a country
  9. root — of a word
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pit — a hole
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. sharp — clever
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bass — the fish
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. root — the cause
  20. wind — moving air
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wind — moving air
  23. land — to come down
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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