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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: pit · file · bay · straw · capital · prune · last · dip

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. prune — to trim
  5. file — a line of people
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. capital — money
  9. file — a document
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pit — in a race
  12. last — finally
  13. prune — to trim
  14. last — to go on
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. dip — to sink
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. capital — a city
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. pit — a hole
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. last — final
  24. straw — a straw man

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