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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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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: pitcher · pit · court · fork · sharp · bay · deal · prune

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pit — in a race
  4. court — for sport
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. court — of law
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. fork — in a road
  18. prune — to trim
  19. sharp — clever
  20. court — of a king
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. fork — to eat with

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