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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. game — wild animals
  3. cell — a phone
  4. lean — thin
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bound — certain
  11. lean — to bend
  12. key — in music
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. key — for a lock
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. prune — to trim
  18. game — a match
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bound — tied together
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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