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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cap — of ice
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. rule — government
  6. season — of the year
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. net — for catching
  9. squash — the sport
  10. prune — to trim
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. net — in sport
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. cap — a hat
  19. date — the fruit
  20. net — after costs
  21. cap — a lid
  22. rule — a law
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. prune — the fruit

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