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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. net — for catching
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. net — after costs
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. march — the month
  9. net — in sport
  10. chair — a leader
  11. capital — money
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. squash — the sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. march — music
  16. last — finally
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. capital — a city
  20. prune — to trim
  21. squash — to crush
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. march — the month
  24. chair — a professorship

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