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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. charge — electricity
  4. spring — the season
  5. kid — to tease
  6. spring — a coil
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. ball — a great time
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. charge — a price
  14. prune — to trim
  15. dip — to sink
  16. spring — of water
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. ball — a dance
  20. charge — in control
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — a permit
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. kid — child

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