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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. lie — to recline
  3. fine — high quality
  4. pass — a permit
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. prune — to trim
  7. march — the month
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. band — a music group
  10. march — music
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. march — the month
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. fine — all right
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. band — a ring
  24. fine — a penalty

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