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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. object — an aim
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. season — of the year
  5. club — for golf
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — music
  8. object — to protest
  9. prune — to trim
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. season — in sport
  13. club — a group
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. march — music
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. club — for dancing
  19. object — a thing
  20. toast — bread
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. rock — a stone

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