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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. prune — to trim
  3. plane — a tool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. pit — in a race
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. content — the amount
  14. bound — obliged
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. prune — to trim
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. cue — a signal
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pit — a hole

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