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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rest — a break
  6. rock — music
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. ground — crushed
  9. prune — to trim
  10. season — of the year
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rock — a stone
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. season — in sport
  15. ground — the earth
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fork — in a road
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. ground — a position
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. fork — to eat with

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