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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. rush — hurry
  4. fine — all right
  5. wind — moving air
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fine — high quality
  9. charge — electricity
  10. march — music
  11. charge — in control
  12. rest — a break
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. march — the month
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stand — to bear
  18. march — the month
  19. charge — a price
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. rest — what's left
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. fine — a penalty

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