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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · prune · last · court · foot · bulb

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pit — in a race
  3. prune — to trim
  4. last — to go on
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. prune — to trim
  7. court — of law
  8. last — final
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. court — of a king
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. foot — a measure
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pit — a hole
  18. court — for sport

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