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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mate — to breed
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. craft — a skill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mug — a face
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. craft — boats
  10. cold — an illness
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — all right
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mug — to rob
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. cold — not warm
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mug — a cup
  22. kick — in football
  23. prune — to trim
  24. craft — a handicraft

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