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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. deal — to handle
  3. net — in sport
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. prune — to trim
  11. net — after costs
  12. prune — to trim
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — child
  17. scale — in music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. mate — to breed
  22. net — for catching
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. scale — size or range

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