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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: temple · rash · deal · prune · kid · pit · rest · chair

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pit — in a race
  4. rash — hasty
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. deal — to handle
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. prune — to trim
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rest — what's left
  14. kid — child
  15. rest — a break
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rash — a series
  18. chair — a leader
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. pit — a hole
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. rest — what's left
  24. chair — to sit on

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