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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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. pop — soda
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pop — to visit
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. last — final
  11. deal — to handle
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. prune — to trim
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. last — to go on
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. last — finally
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. pop — music
  23. prune — to trim
  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