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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  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. net — in sport
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mug — a face
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. key — in music
  8. clip — for paper
  9. mug — to rob
  10. clip — a video
  11. mine — for digging
  12. net — for catching
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. key — for a lock
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. clip — to cut
  19. prune — to trim
  20. key — the most important part
  21. prune — to trim
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mug — a cup
  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