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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. net — in sport
  5. hand — help
  6. chair — a leader
  7. net — after costs
  8. firm — steady
  9. net — for catching
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. hand — in cards
  13. perch — the fish
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — decided

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