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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. land — ground
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. prune — to trim
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. land — a country
  7. squash — the sport
  8. land — to come down
  9. pit — a hole
  10. squash — to crush
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. scale — in music
  13. object — a thing
  14. pit — in a race
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. prune — to trim
  18. object — an aim
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. scale — size or range
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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