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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. prune — to trim
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. march — the month
  5. chest — of your body
  6. march — the month
  7. chest — a box
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. march — music
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — music
  14. prune — to trim
  15. key — for a lock
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. chest — of your body
  18. key — the most important part
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. key — in music
  24. pop — to visit

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