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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. suit — to fit
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. suit — clothes
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. suit — in cards
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. drill — a practice
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. prune — to trim
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — a skill
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bat — the animal
  20. drill — the tool
  21. fine — all right
  22. craft — boats
  23. fine — high quality
  24. bat — for baseball

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