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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 120 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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. ground — a position
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. scale — in music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. game — wild animals
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. prune — to trim
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. scale — size or range
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. scale — for weighing

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