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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 116 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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bass — low music
  6. ground — the earth
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. ground — a position
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rule — a law
  12. scale — in music
  13. hand — in cards
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rule — government
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. scale — size or range
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. hand — help

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