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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. tear — from crying
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pass — a permit
  6. hand — help
  7. mate — to breed
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. net — after costs
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. mate — a partner
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. net — for catching
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. hand — in cards
  20. ball — a dance
  21. net — in sport
  22. prune — to trim
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mate — a friend

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