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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. last — final
  8. ground — the earth
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. last — to go on
  11. ground — a position
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. last — finally
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. band — a music group
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. prune — to trim
  22. band — a ring
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. ruler — for measuring

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