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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. charge — a price
  3. net — for catching
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. net — after costs
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. game — wild animals
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. charge — in control
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. prune — to trim
  13. charge — electricity
  14. net — in sport
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — shares
  19. plane — a tool
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. temple — a place of worship

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