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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. perch — the fish
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. prune — to trim
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rash — a series
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — a list
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rash — hasty
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pop — to visit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pop — soda
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pop — music

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