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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. present — there
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rash — hasty
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rest — a break
  11. rash — a series
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. root — the cause
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bat — the animal
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. present — a gift
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. present — the time now

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