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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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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: field · deal · snap · key · pit · prune · chair · suit

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. key — the most important part
  4. field — for sport
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. suit — clothes
  9. chair — a leader
  10. key — in music
  11. pit — a hole
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. deal — to handle
  14. suit — to fit
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. pit — in a race
  18. field — farmland
  19. key — for a lock
  20. field — a subject
  21. prune — to trim
  22. suit — in cards
  23. snap — to click
  24. deal — an agreement

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