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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mate — to breed
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — to point toward
  10. wind — moving air
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wind — moving air
  13. prune — to trim
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. rest — a break
  17. pop — music
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rest — what's left
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. game — a match
  22. pop — to visit
  23. rest — what's left
  24. racket — for tennis

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