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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cue — a hint
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ground — the earth
  10. file — a line of people
  11. season — in sport
  12. ground — a position
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. file — a tool
  15. chair — a leader
  16. row — a line
  17. file — a document
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. cue — a signal
  20. season — of the year
  21. cue — for pool
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. wound — an injury
  24. ground — crushed

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