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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. saw — the tool
  3. face — to point toward
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. kick — in football
  6. hand — in cards
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. face — to confront
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. fine — all right
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. fine — high quality
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. hand — help
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. net — for catching

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