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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: prune · cap · lean · pit · sharp · rule · pitch · tube

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. lean — thin
  3. prune — to trim
  4. tube — a container
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rule — a law
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rule — government
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pit — a hole
  19. lean — to bend
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. cap — of ice
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cap — a hat

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