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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. pop — soda
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. sharp — clever
  6. rash — a series
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — the sport
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. prune — to trim
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pop — music
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rash — hasty
  17. face — part of the head
  18. prune — to trim
  19. squash — to crush
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. pop — to visit
  22. face — to confront
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. face — to point toward

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