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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. pop — music
  3. chip — to eat
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pop — to visit
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. pop — soda
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bore — to drill
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. craft — boats
  18. rash — a series
  19. net — in sport
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. net — after costs
  22. chip — for betting
  23. net — for catching
  24. craft — a skill

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