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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. prune — to trim
  3. board — a committee
  4. season — in sport
  5. bound — obliged
  6. pass — a permit
  7. season — of the year
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. deal — to handle
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. board — to get on
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. squash — to crush
  24. deal — a big deal

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