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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mine — for digging
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. pop — music
  11. rest — a break
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pop — soda
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. net — for catching
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. rest — what's left
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pop — to visit
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. lie — an untruth

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