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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. drill — army training
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pop — soda
  7. chair — a leader
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. drill — a practice
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — a trace

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