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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. press — to push
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. press — a publisher
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. press — newspapers
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. ground — a position
  21. chair — a leader
  22. prune — to trim
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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