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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pop — to visit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pitch — completely
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. pop — soda
  10. spell — letters
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. spell — magic
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. key — for a lock
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pop — music
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pitch — a sports field

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