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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. can — a tin
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chair — a leader
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. prune — to trim
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cue — a hint
  13. rash — a series
  14. cue — a signal
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. season — of the year
  17. wound — an injury
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cue — for pool
  20. season — in sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. can — a tin
  24. wound — an injury

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