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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. net — in sport
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — for betting
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. chip — to eat
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. prune — to trim
  15. net — after costs
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. season — in sport
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. net — for catching
  23. season — of the year
  24. calf — a young animal

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