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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. march — the month
  3. prune — to trim
  4. press — newspapers
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. march — music
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. cell — in biology
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cell — a phone
  15. prune — to trim
  16. press — a publisher
  17. march — the month
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. cap — a lid
  20. season — in sport
  21. press — to push
  22. date — the fruit
  23. season — of the year
  24. pitcher — a jug

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