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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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Word bank
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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: prune · lean · pit · court · date · foot · bass · net

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bass — low music
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pit — a hole
  9. court — for sport
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. court — of law
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. net — in sport
  19. date — the fruit
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. net — for catching
  22. bass — the fish
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. net — after costs

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