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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rock — music
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rock — a stone
  5. dip — to sink
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. prune — to trim
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. ground — crushed
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. season — in sport
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ground — a position
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. stand — to bear
  23. ground — the earth
  24. season — of the year

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