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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. last — finally
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. deal — to handle
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. prune — to trim
  18. last — final
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. last — to go on

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