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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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pop — music
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. lie — to recline
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pop — to visit
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. snap — to click
  16. track — to keep track
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. prune — to trim
  19. track — a path
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. track — a song
  23. pop — soda
  24. lie — an untruth

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