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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. land — ground
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. staff — employees
  8. firm — decided
  9. cold — an illness
  10. prune — to trim
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. ball — a dance
  15. staff — a stick
  16. land — a country
  17. last — to go on
  18. staff — employees
  19. firm — a company
  20. land — to come down
  21. cold — not warm
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. firm — steady

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