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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bound — certain
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rush — hurry
  6. fall — to drop
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. fall — to drop
  10. squash — to crush
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bound — obliged
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. can — a tin
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. chair — a leader
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bound — tied together
  24. fall — the season

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