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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mate — to breed
  3. tube — a container
  4. mate — a friend
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. march — the month
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. rest — what's left
  9. tube — the underground
  10. mate — a partner
  11. march — the month
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rest — a break
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. squash — the sport
  17. march — music
  18. bulb — for light
  19. squash — to crush
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bulb — for light
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fork — a garden tool

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