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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 116 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pit — in a race
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bound — tied together
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fall — the season
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. fall — to drop
  17. sharp — clever
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wound — an injury
  20. kick — in football
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. sharp — exactly

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