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

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. present — a gift
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. present — there
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. rash — a series
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. prune — to trim

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