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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: kid · tear · foot · ball · craft · pit · prune · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pit — a hole
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. prune — to trim
  5. kid — child
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. kid — to tease
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. ball — a dance
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. pit — in a race
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. tear — from crying
  15. prune — to trim
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. foot — a measure
  18. tear — from crying
  19. ball — a great time
  20. craft — boats
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. tear — to rip
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. craft — a skill

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