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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 120 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. suit — to fit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. suit — clothes
  5. present — a gift
  6. net — in sport
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bass — the fish
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. net — after costs
  13. mine — for digging
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. net — for catching
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. present — there
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. prune — to trim
  22. game — a match
  23. bass — low music
  24. present — the time now

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