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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. net — in sport
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. band — a ring
  7. shower — rain
  8. face — part of the head
  9. prune — to trim
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. net — for catching
  12. shower — to wash
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. game — wild animals
  15. band — a music group
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. prune — to trim
  18. face — to point toward
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to sink
  21. game — a match
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. face — to confront
  24. net — after costs

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