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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. pit — in a race
  4. lean — thin
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. ball — a great time
  16. suit — clothes
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — in cards
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. land — ground
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bat — the animal

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