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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. firm — decided
  3. prune — to trim
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. suit — clothes
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. scale — in music
  11. cold — not warm
  12. firm — steady
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — a container
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. firm — a company
  20. prune — to trim
  21. suit — to fit
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cold — the Cold War

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