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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. club — for dancing
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. net — in sport
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. net — after costs
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — a video
  10. object — a thing
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. club — for golf
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. net — for catching
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. clip — for paper
  18. club — a group
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. object — an aim
  23. ground — a position
  24. object — to protest

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