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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. face — part of the head
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. ground — a position
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kick — in football
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. face — to point toward
  11. ground — crushed
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. face — to confront
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. key — the most important part
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. prune — to trim
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bear — the animal
  23. ground — the earth
  24. mouse — the 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