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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitch — completely
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. file — a line of people
  6. march — the month
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. date — the fruit
  9. suit — to fit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. suit — clothes
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. march — the month
  16. suit — in cards
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. march — music
  20. file — a tool
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pound — a weight
  23. file — a document
  24. pound — for dogs

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