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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 116 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: rule · prune · pound · lie · bowl · march · pit · field

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pound — a weight
  4. march — music
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. march — the month
  8. pit — in a race
  9. field — a subject
  10. prune — to trim
  11. field — for sport
  12. rule — government
  13. march — the month
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. field — farmland
  22. rule — a law
  23. pit — a hole
  24. lie — an untruth

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