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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. prune — to trim
  3. march — the month
  4. swing — to play on
  5. march — music
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. rash — a series
  10. net — for catching
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. net — in sport
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. swing — in golf
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. net — after costs
  20. press — to push
  21. march — the month
  22. press — a publisher
  23. swing — music
  24. rash — hasty

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