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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. kick — in football
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. cap — of ice
  5. season — in sport
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. season — of the year
  9. cap — a lid
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. prune — to trim
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. stand — to bear
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bat — for baseball

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