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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. prune — to trim
  3. row — to paddle
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mark — a grade
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. mark — a trace
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. current — happening now
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. fine — all right
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. current — of water
  18. row — a line
  19. current — electric
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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