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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. file — a tool
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. season — in sport
  9. file — a line of people
  10. can — a tin
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. mug — a face
  15. vault — a safe
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. file — a document
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. season — of the year
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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