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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 116 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. prune — to trim
  5. squash — to crush
  6. face — to point toward
  7. prune — to trim
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. squash — the sport
  17. ball — a dance
  18. clip — a video
  19. last — final
  20. ball — a great time
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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