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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. game — wild animals
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cap — of ice
  10. net — in sport
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. net — after costs
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cap — a hat
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. game — a match
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bear — the animal
  23. prune — to trim
  24. net — for catching

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