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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bound — tied together
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. toast — bread
  19. lie — to recline
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. club — a group
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. calf — a young animal

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