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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. hand — help
  4. face — to point toward
  5. hand — in cards
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. chip — for betting
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pass — a permit
  13. chip — to eat
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. stand — to bear
  17. face — to confront
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. face — part of the head

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