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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. ground — crushed
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. fine — all right
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. scale — size or range
  10. chair — a leader
  11. ground — a position
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. fine — high quality
  15. scale — in music
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. prune — to trim
  22. staff — employees
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cabinet — ministers

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