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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. mark — a trace
  6. fine — all right
  7. race — humankind
  8. net — for catching
  9. race — the arms race
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. prune — to trim
  12. net — after costs
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fine — high quality
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. mark — a grade
  18. saw — the tool
  19. race — a contest
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. net — in sport
  24. ball — a dance

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