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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fine — all right
  3. march — music
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — high quality
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. net — after costs
  10. prune — to trim
  11. net — for catching
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. chip — to eat
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. chip — for betting
  17. present — a gift
  18. march — the month
  19. present — there
  20. present — the time now
  21. net — in sport
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. march — the month

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