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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. saw — the tool
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bear — the animal
  5. net — in sport
  6. bear — the animal
  7. net — after costs
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. prune — to trim
  10. face — to confront
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. saw — the tool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. present — the time now
  18. face — part of the head
  19. present — a gift
  20. face — to point toward
  21. present — there
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. net — for catching
  24. bear — to put up with

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