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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: bound · pit · ball · fine · cell · rest · pass · prune

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. ball — a great time
  3. pass — a permit
  4. cell — a phone
  5. fine — high quality
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pit — a hole
  8. cell — in biology
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bound — certain
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. fine — all right
  14. pit — in a race
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bound — obliged

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