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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. rash — hasty
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rash — a series
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mate — a friend
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. chest — a box
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mate — to breed
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mine — for digging
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. mate — a partner

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