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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 120 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. shower — rain
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. can — a tin
  5. net — for catching
  6. can — a tin
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. net — after costs
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. can — to be able to
  14. prune — to trim
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bat — the animal
  17. press — to push
  18. press — a publisher
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. press — newspapers
  22. clip — a video
  23. net — in sport
  24. shower — to wash

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