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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. firm — steady
  4. chip — for betting
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. sharp — clever
  7. squash — to crush
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — to push
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. file — a line of people
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. file — a document
  16. firm — decided
  17. chip — to eat
  18. file — a tool
  19. firm — a company
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. press — a publisher
  23. squash — the sport
  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