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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. squash — the sport
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fine — all right
  5. spell — a short time
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. spell — magic
  10. cell — a phone
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. squash — to crush
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — to breed
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mate — a partner
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. fine — high quality
  21. spell — letters
  22. cell — in biology
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. march — the month

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