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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. charge — in control
  4. bound — certain
  5. net — for catching
  6. bound — obliged
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bound — tied together
  9. row — a line
  10. march — the month
  11. net — after costs
  12. prune — to trim
  13. row — to paddle
  14. charge — electricity
  15. prune — to trim
  16. march — the month
  17. bat — the animal
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. net — in sport
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. charge — a price
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. march — music
  24. bat — in an idiom

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