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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bound — certain
  7. prune — to trim
  8. row — a line
  9. ball — a great time
  10. rest — a break
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bound — tied together
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. rest — what's left
  15. branch — a division
  16. ball — a dance
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. row — to paddle
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bound — obliged
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. branch — of a bank

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