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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. sharp — clever
  4. prune — to trim
  5. suit — in cards
  6. file — a tool
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. suit — clothes
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. file — a document
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. band — a music group
  18. file — a line of people
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. sharp — with an edge

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