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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cap — a hat
  5. net — in sport
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. band — a ring
  9. prune — to trim
  10. band — a music group
  11. snap — to click
  12. bound — obliged
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bound — certain
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bound — tied together
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cap — of ice
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. scale — in music
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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