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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. charge — a price
  4. kid — to tease
  5. spring — the season
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. track — to keep track
  8. board — a committee
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. present — a gift
  11. prune — to trim
  12. snap — to click
  13. kid — child
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spring — a coil
  16. board — to get on
  17. charge — electricity
  18. spring — of water
  19. present — there
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. charge — in control
  22. present — the time now
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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