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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. net — after costs
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. mine — for digging
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. land — a country
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. prune — to trim
  20. toast — bread
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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