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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. band — a ring
  3. wind — moving air
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. band — a music group
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. date — the fruit
  11. charge — in control
  12. net — after costs
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — a price
  15. mug — a face
  16. net — for catching
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. prune — to trim
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. ground — the earth
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wind — moving air
  23. ground — a position
  24. net — in sport

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