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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mate — a partner
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bound — tied together
  7. track — a song
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mate — a friend
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. bound — certain
  13. net — in sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. track — a path
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bound — obliged
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — an explosive

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