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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. present — the time now
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. scale — in music
  5. last — to go on
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. prune — to trim
  8. court — of law
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. present — there
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pass — a permit
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. court — of a king
  16. prune — to trim
  17. last — final
  18. court — for sport
  19. present — a gift
  20. scale — size or range
  21. last — finally
  22. race — a contest
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. race — humankind

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