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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. prune — to trim
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. sharp — clever
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pit — a hole
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mine — for digging
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pit — in a race
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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