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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. track — a song
  4. hand — help
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. track — a path
  9. bear — the animal
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. hand — in cards
  14. game — wild animals
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. game — a match
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. prune — to trim
  24. game — a kind of play

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