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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pass — a permit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. wound — an injury
  6. season — in sport
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. suit — to fit
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. file — a document
  12. suit — clothes
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. season — of the year
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. cold — not warm
  18. file — a tool
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. file — a line of people
  22. wound — an injury
  23. suit — in cards
  24. cold — an illness

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