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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 · pit · coach · rock · prune · ground · key · squash

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. kid — to tease
  4. squash — the sport
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. kid — child
  7. key — for a lock
  8. prune — to trim
  9. squash — to crush
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — in music
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ground — a position
  17. pit — a hole
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. pit — in a race
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — music
  24. coach — a trainer

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