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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: drill · stick · straw · arm · fine · lie · pit · prune

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fine — high quality
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. prune — to trim
  6. drill — army training
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. drill — a practice
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. drill — the tool
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. fine — all right
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pit — a hole
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. pit — in a race
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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