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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: prune · pound · toast · pass · pit · calf · content · fine

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fine — all right
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. content — the amount
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. toast — bread
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pound — a weight
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. content — happy
  16. fine — high quality
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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