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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. march — the month
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pop — to visit
  14. march — music
  15. net — in sport
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. prune — to trim
  18. degree — an amount
  19. march — the month
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — after costs
  22. suit — clothes
  23. suit — in cards
  24. suit — to fit

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