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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rest — what's left
  3. sharp — clever
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. fork — in a road
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. press — to push
  10. clip — to cut
  11. cue — a hint
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rest — a break
  16. press — a publisher
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. cue — a signal
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pass — a permit
  22. cue — for pool
  23. rest — what's left
  24. clip — a video

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