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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mark — a grade
  5. net — for catching
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. chip — for betting
  11. net — after costs
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. court — of law
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mark — a trace
  16. court — for sport
  17. net — in sport
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chip — to eat
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rash — a series
  23. court — of a king
  24. prune — to trim

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