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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. season — of the year
  10. date — the fruit
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. net — for catching
  14. track — to keep track
  15. net — after costs
  16. track — a song
  17. net — in sport
  18. track — a path
  19. rule — government
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — a law
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a list
  24. deal — to handle

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