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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 116 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. staff — employees
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. prune — to trim
  9. capital — money
  10. rest — a break
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. rest — what's left
  13. capital — a city
  14. deal — to handle
  15. staff — a stick
  16. land — ground
  17. rest — what's left
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. land — a country
  22. staff — employees
  23. fine — high quality
  24. land — to come down

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