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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fine — all right
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. fine — high quality
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. prune — to trim
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. rash — a series
  14. last — final
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. last — finally
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. prune — to trim
  23. last — to go on
  24. scale — in 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