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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. face — to confront
  3. sharp — clever
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. key — in music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. squash — the sport
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pit — in a race
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pit — a hole
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. face — part of the head
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. key — for a lock
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. squash — to crush
  19. drill — the tool
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. key — the most important part
  24. drill — army training

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