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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. last — final
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. pass — a permit
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. board — a committee
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. board — to get on
  16. kick — in football
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. last — finally
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. last — to go on
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. prune — to trim

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