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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: kick · pit · game · cell · bound · toast · prune · date

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. pit — a hole
  3. game — wild animals
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — in biology
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. date — the fruit
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bound — certain
  10. toast — bread
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cell — a phone
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bound — tied together
  17. prune — to trim
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. prune — to trim
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. game — a match
  23. pit — in a race
  24. toast — the most admired

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