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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. chip — for betting
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. stand — to bear
  7. perch — the fish
  8. prune — to trim
  9. vault — a safe
  10. clip — to cut
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. chip — to eat
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. toast — bread
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. dip — to sink
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. dip — a sauce

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