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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. root — the cause
  3. kid — to tease
  4. march — the month
  5. root — of a word
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. prune — to trim
  8. last — to go on
  9. fine — all right
  10. last — finally
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. march — music
  16. rush — hurry
  17. last — final
  18. prune — to trim
  19. kid — child
  20. root — of a plant
  21. march — the month
  22. fine — high quality
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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