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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 124 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. spell — letters
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. spell — magic
  8. deal — to handle
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bass — low music
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pit — a hole
  13. drill — army training
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pit — in a race
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — all right
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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