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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pit — in a race
  5. ball — a great time
  6. game — a match
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. band — a music group
  10. foot — a measure
  11. band — a ring
  12. ball — a dance
  13. game — wild animals
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. last — to go on
  16. bore — to tire
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. last — final
  19. pit — a hole
  20. prune — to trim
  21. last — finally
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bore — to drill
  24. foot — part of the body

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