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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. drill — the tool
  4. row — to paddle
  5. swing — to play on
  6. rash — hasty
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. ball — a great time
  11. swing — in golf
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. pass — a permit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rash — a series
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. ball — a dance
  19. drill — army training
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. row — a line
  22. chair — a leader
  23. swing — music
  24. drill — a practice

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