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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pop — music
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. bank — of a river
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. file — a document
  13. bank — for money
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bank — for money
  16. pop — soda
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ball — a great time
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cell — in biology
  22. pop — to visit
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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