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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: pit · prune · fan · dip · fine · firm · capital · fall

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fine — high quality
  7. capital — a city
  8. dip — to sink
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fall — the season
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fine — all right
  16. firm — decided
  17. prune — to trim
  18. firm — steady
  19. capital — money
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pit — a hole
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. firm — a company

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