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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rest — what's left
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cell — a phone
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. row — a line
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rest — a break
  16. pop — music
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pop — soda
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cell — in biology
  24. pop — to visit

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