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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pit — in a race
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. prune — to trim
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. spring — of water
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — a hole
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. prune — to trim
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. spring — the season
  16. squash — to crush
  17. capital — a city
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. spring — a coil
  21. capital — money
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. prune — the fruit

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