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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 124 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. board — a committee
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. capital — money
  6. board — to get on
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. prune — to trim
  11. ground — a position
  12. bass — low music
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bass — the fish
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pit — a hole
  21. capital — a city
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pit — in a race

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