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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. season — in sport
  3. staff — employees
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. staff — a stick
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — in music
  10. staff — employees
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. field — a subject
  13. season — of the year
  14. field — for sport
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. field — farmland
  18. mine — for digging
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  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