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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. can — to be able to
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. can — a tin
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. can — a tin
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. court — of a king
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pit — in a race
  13. court — of law
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. prune — to trim
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. court — for sport
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pit — a hole
  24. saw — the tool

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