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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 120 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — to visit
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. pop — music
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a dance
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. capital — a city
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fall — the season
  20. rush — hurry
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. prune — to trim
  23. capital — money
  24. fall — to drop

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