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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: pit · patient · pitch · game · prune · firm · ruler · spell

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. game — wild animals
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pit — in a race
  8. game — a match
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. pitch — completely
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. firm — steady
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pit — a hole
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — a company

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