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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pop — soda
  4. fine — high quality
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rest — a break
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — a series
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pop — music
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pop — to visit
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. prune — to trim
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fine — all right
  24. bowl — a football final

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