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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bound — obliged
  4. spell — magic
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. court — of a king
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. spell — a short time
  14. court — for sport
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. pit — a hole
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bound — tied together
  20. court — of law
  21. prune — to trim
  22. foot — a measure
  23. bound — certain
  24. spell — letters

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