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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. present — a gift
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pop — soda
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mine — for digging
  17. prune — to trim
  18. present — the time now
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. cap — a hat
  21. pop — music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. present — there
  24. mine — belonging to me

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