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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 120 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mate — a friend
  6. squash — the sport
  7. drill — army training
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. can — to be able to
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. season — of the year
  12. stand — to bear
  13. drill — the tool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. mate — to breed
  17. drill — a practice
  18. season — in sport
  19. can — a tin
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. squash — to crush
  22. chair — a leader
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mate — a partner

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