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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. scale — in music
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cue — a signal
  9. march — the month
  10. scale — size or range
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. march — music
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cue — for pool
  15. foot — a measure
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. cue — a hint
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. march — the month
  22. prune — to trim
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bat — for baseball

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