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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 120 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bat — the animal
  7. game — a match
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stand — to bear
  10. game — wild animals
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. wind — moving air
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fine — high quality
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fine — all right
  24. arm — part of the body

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