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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. roll — a cake
  5. tube — the underground
  6. roll — a list
  7. tube — a container
  8. toast — bread
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. pitch — completely
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bound — certain
  13. drill — the tool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. drill — army training
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. mark — a grade
  24. prune — to trim

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