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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 116 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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pit — in a race
  5. march — the month
  6. mug — a cup
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cold — not warm
  9. pit — a hole
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. spell — magic
  12. mug — to rob
  13. spell — letters
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. mug — a face
  17. march — music
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. march — the month
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. spell — a short time
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wave — with your hand

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