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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pass — a permit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fall — the season
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. mark — a trace
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. wind — moving air
  12. prune — to trim
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fine — all right
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wind — moving air
  24. nail — for a hammer

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