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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. season — of the year
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. rule — government
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. toast — bread
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. season — in sport
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bat — the animal
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. rule — a law
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. rule — to rule out

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