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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 120 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: game · season · pit · rush · prune · pitcher · squash · mark

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. game — a match
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pit — in a race
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rush — hurry
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. season — of the year
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. mark — a trace
  14. pit — a hole
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. squash — the sport
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mark — a grade
  21. season — in sport
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. prune — to trim

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