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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 · content · toast · kid · prune · chip · calf · bore

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bore — to drill
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pit — a hole
  9. chip — for betting
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bore — to tire
  13. prune — to trim
  14. content — the amount
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. kid — child
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. content — happy
  21. kid — to tease
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pit — in a race
  24. toast — bread

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