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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. capital — money
  3. bass — the fish
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. face — to confront
  9. squash — to crush
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. chip — for betting
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chip — to eat
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. capital — a city
  17. ball — a great time
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bass — low music
  20. mine — for digging
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. face — part of the head
  23. ball — a dance
  24. face — to point toward

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