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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. firm — steady
  3. net — in sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. capital — money
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. net — for catching
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. firm — a company
  15. pop — to visit
  16. capital — a city
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. prune — to trim
  19. firm — decided
  20. pop — music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. net — after costs

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