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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: fall · march · pit · toast · prune · jam · rush · race

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. prune — to trim
  3. race — humankind
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. fall — to drop
  8. march — the month
  9. pit — in a race
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. race — a contest
  12. toast — bread
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fall — to drop
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. pit — a hole
  23. race — the arms race
  24. fall — the season

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