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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. prune — to trim
  3. season — in sport
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. dip — to sink
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. ball — a dance
  18. season — of the year
  19. staff — a stick
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. staff — employees
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. staff — employees

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