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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. staff — employees
  3. face — to confront
  4. march — the month
  5. staff — employees
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. march — music
  9. hand — in cards
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. face — to point toward
  12. stand — to bear
  13. prune — to trim
  14. face — part of the head
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. staff — a stick
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. squash — to crush
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. squash — the sport
  21. deal — to handle
  22. march — the month
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. hand — help

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