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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — in football
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. scale — in music
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bat — the animal
  10. foot — a measure
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pass — a permit
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. scale — size or range
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. squash — to crush
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. squash — the sport
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. nail — for a hammer

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