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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · fine · pitcher · prune · court · pit · craft · bat

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pit — a hole
  4. court — of a king
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. court — for sport
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. clip — for paper
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. clip — to cut
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. craft — a skill
  15. pit — in a race
  16. clip — a video
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — all right
  19. prune — to trim
  20. court — of law
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. craft — boats

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