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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. mark — a trace
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mark — a grade
  8. prune — to trim
  9. net — in sport
  10. vault — a safe
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. pound — a weight
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. capital — money
  20. season — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. net — after costs
  24. season — of the year

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