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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. net — in sport
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. net — after costs
  7. swing — music
  8. prune — to trim
  9. net — for catching
  10. prune — to trim
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. rock — music
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rest — what's left
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rock — a stone
  21. swing — to play on
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. swing — in golf
  24. drill — army training

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