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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: squash · spell · game · pit · clip · prune · pass · kick

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. kick — in football
  9. prune — to trim
  10. clip — for paper
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — magic
  13. pit — in a race
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. clip — a video
  16. squash — the sport
  17. spell — a short time
  18. prune — to trim
  19. clip — to cut
  20. pit — a hole
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. kick — with a leg

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