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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. prune — to trim
  4. land — ground
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. present — a gift
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. swing — music
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. land — to come down
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. deal — to handle
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. swing — to play on
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. present — the time now
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. swing — in golf
  23. land — a country
  24. deal — an agreement

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