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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. toast — bread
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. swing — in golf
  5. current — of water
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. current — electric
  9. squash — to crush
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pass — a permit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cap — a hat
  17. swing — to play on
  18. cap — a lid
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. swing — music
  21. squash — the sport
  22. prune — to trim
  23. current — happening now
  24. trunk — of a car

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