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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. kick — in football
  5. roll — a cake
  6. prune — to trim
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. object — to protest
  9. capital — a city
  10. sharp — clever
  11. row — to paddle
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. roll — a list
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. object — an aim
  18. row — a line
  19. capital — money
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. prune — to trim
  22. hand — in cards
  23. object — a thing
  24. hand — help

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