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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. last — final
  3. scale — in music
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lean — to bend
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. last — to go on
  9. fine — all right
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. lean — thin
  12. pass — a permit
  13. last — finally
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. fine — high quality
  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