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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. prune — to trim
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. ball — a great time
  5. suit — to fit
  6. toast — bread
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. suit — in cards
  9. shower — to wash
  10. capital — money
  11. prune — to trim
  12. dip — to sink
  13. season — of the year
  14. capital — a city
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. season — in sport
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. shower — rain
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. ball — a dance
  24. toast — the most admired

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