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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 116 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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. squash — the sport
  5. kid — to tease
  6. last — finally
  7. bass — the fish
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. last — final
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pit — in a race
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. game — a match
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bass — low music
  21. game — wild animals
  22. last — to go on
  23. pit — a hole
  24. kid — child

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