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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pop — to visit
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. row — a line
  10. pop — music
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. snap — to click
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. prune — to trim
  17. row — to paddle
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pop — soda
  21. game — a match
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. calf — a young animal

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