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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. net — in sport
  8. prune — to trim
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. sharp — clever
  12. prune — to trim
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. clip — a video
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for golf
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bowl — a dish

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