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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. game — a match
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. present — a gift
  7. prune — to trim
  8. present — there
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pound — a weight
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. fine — all right
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. present — the time now
  19. wind — moving air
  20. snap — to click
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fine — a penalty

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