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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. game — wild animals
  3. season — of the year
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pop — soda
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. present — the time now
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mate — a friend
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. present — there
  15. present — a gift
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. mate — to breed
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. game — a match
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — in sport

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