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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. ball — a great time
  4. press — a publisher
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. net — for catching
  7. ball — a dance
  8. press — to push
  9. net — in sport
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. sharp — clever
  12. net — after costs
  13. object — to protest
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. roll — a cake
  18. prune — to trim
  19. object — a thing
  20. press — newspapers
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. object — an aim
  24. sharp — with an edge

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