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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: pit · prune · sharp · jam · wind · foot · field · arm

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pit — a hole
  7. wind — moving air
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wind — moving air
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. foot — a measure
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. field — for sport
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pit — in a race
  24. foot — part of the body

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