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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. squash — the sport
  4. spell — magic
  5. cap — a lid
  6. sharp — clever
  7. spell — a short time
  8. cap — a hat
  9. root — of a plant
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. root — of a word
  14. pass — a permit
  15. cap — of ice
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. squash — to crush
  20. spell — letters
  21. prune — to trim
  22. root — the cause
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — to succeed

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