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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: toast · pound · pit · cue · date · cap · bulb · prune

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. cap — a lid
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. cue — a signal
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. cap — a hat
  8. pit — a hole
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — for pool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. toast — bread
  19. pound — a weight
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bulb — for light
  22. date — the fruit
  23. cap — of ice
  24. pound — to hit hard

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