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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. saw — the tool
  3. row — a line
  4. land — a country
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. prune — to trim
  8. land — ground
  9. net — in sport
  10. row — to paddle
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — in control
  14. net — for catching
  15. prune — to trim
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. net — after costs
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. land — to come down
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. charge — electricity
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. saw — the tool

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