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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 120 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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bass — the fish
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. net — for catching
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — a city
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. net — in sport
  13. fork — in a road
  14. net — after costs
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. capital — money
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bass — low music
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fork — a garden tool

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