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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  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. jam — to spread on bread
  2. prune — to trim
  3. swing — to play on
  4. march — the month
  5. fine — all right
  6. mine — for digging
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. swing — music
  12. march — the month
  13. swing — in golf
  14. pound — a weight
  15. rest — a break
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. fine — high quality
  20. march — music
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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