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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 116 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bat — the animal
  6. last — to go on
  7. can — a tin
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. craft — boats
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. can — to be able to
  16. chip — to eat
  17. squash — to crush
  18. chip — for betting
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. last — finally
  22. can — a tin
  23. squash — the sport
  24. last — final

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