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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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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: content · bat · ground · prune · pass · suit · pit · cold

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. cold — not warm
  3. ground — a position
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. pass — a permit
  6. suit — to fit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ground — crushed
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — in cards
  17. ground — the earth
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. content — happy
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. cold — an illness

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