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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. ball — a great time
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. prune — to trim
  7. track — to keep track
  8. swing — to play on
  9. ball — a dance
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. swing — in golf
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. swing — music
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. track — a song
  16. track — a path
  17. bat — the animal
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. prune — to trim
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. temple — a place of worship

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