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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. ground — a position
  2. march — music
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. march — the month
  6. cap — a lid
  7. prune — to trim
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bulb — for light
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. wake — a trail
  13. ground — crushed
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — to eat
  16. game — wild animals
  17. cap — a hat
  18. ground — the earth
  19. game — a match
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bulb — for light
  23. march — the month
  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