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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. game — wild animals
  9. content — the amount
  10. game — a match
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. prune — to trim
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. content — happy
  18. coach — pulled by horses

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