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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. march — the month
  3. staff — employees
  4. toast — bread
  5. march — music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. staff — a stick
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — in a road
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. cap — of ice
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cap — a lid
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cap — a hat
  19. march — the month
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. staff — employees
  24. prune — the fruit

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