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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. mug — to rob
  3. prune — to trim
  4. swing — music
  5. game — wild animals
  6. swing — to play on
  7. prune — to trim
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. mug — a face
  11. rule — a law
  12. rash — hasty
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. rash — a series
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. mug — a cup
  19. swing — in golf
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rule — government

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