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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. ground — crushed
  3. last — final
  4. ground — the earth
  5. squash — to crush
  6. hand — in cards
  7. last — to go on
  8. squash — the sport
  9. rock — music
  10. staff — a stick
  11. firm — decided
  12. prune — to trim
  13. firm — a company
  14. ground — a position
  15. staff — employees
  16. prune — to trim
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. firm — steady
  19. last — finally
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. staff — employees
  24. rock — a stone

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