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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. ball — a dance
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. cell — in biology
  5. ball — a great time
  6. land — to come down
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rest — what's left
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. rest — what's left
  11. land — a country
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. land — ground
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. kick — in football
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rush — hurry
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rest — a break
  24. cell — a phone

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