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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rash — a series
  6. mine — for digging
  7. prune — to trim
  8. can — a tin
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. hand — help
  11. can — a tin
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. hand — in cards
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. pit — a hole
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rash — hasty
  23. can — to be able to
  24. mine — an explosive

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