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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. club — a group
  3. face — to confront
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mate — a friend
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. face — part of the head
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — to breed
  19. squash — the sport
  20. perch — the fish
  21. face — to point toward
  22. club — for golf
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. squash — the vegetable

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