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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. fine — all right
  7. squash — to crush
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. season — of the year
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. cue — a hint
  13. chair — a leader
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. ball — a dance
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. ball — a great time
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — high quality
  23. prune — to trim
  24. squash — the sport

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