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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 120 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 · game · rush · lie · bat · fall · dip · pit

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. pit — in a race
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. fall — the season
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. rush — hurry
  18. dip — to sink
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bat — the animal
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. game — wild animals

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