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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. saw — the tool
  9. march — music
  10. lie — to recline
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. march — the month
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. march — the month
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. prune — to trim
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. toast — bread
  24. prune — to trim

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