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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. scale — in music
  6. squash — to crush
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rest — what's left
  9. squash — the sport
  10. scale — size or range
  11. rest — a break
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rest — what's left
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. chip — to eat
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. march — the month
  20. prune — to trim
  21. chip — for betting
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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