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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: race · prune · pass · kick · present · track · pit · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. present — a gift
  6. race — the arms race
  7. kick — in football
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wound — an injury
  10. present — the time now
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. present — there
  13. track — a path
  14. pass — a permit
  15. race — humankind
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. track — to keep track
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. race — a contest
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a hole
  24. track — a song

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