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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cue — a hint
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bound — tied together
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. cue — for pool
  13. staff — employees
  14. bound — certain
  15. cue — a signal
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pass — a permit
  18. staff — a stick
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. staff — employees
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. prune — the fruit

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