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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: arm · lie · prune · cue · pit · kid · mate · cold

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. prune — to trim
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cue — a signal
  6. kid — to tease
  7. lie — to recline
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. kid — child
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cue — for pool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. mate — a partner
  18. cold — not warm
  19. pit — a hole
  20. cold — an illness
  21. mate — to breed
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cue — a hint

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