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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 116 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: firm · nail · rest · swing · race · pitcher · pit · prune

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pit — in a race
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. swing — to play on
  11. rest — what's left
  12. race — the arms race
  13. rest — a break
  14. swing — in golf
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — steady
  20. swing — music
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — a contest
  23. prune — to trim
  24. firm — decided

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