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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 124 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pop — music
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. lean — thin
  6. net — for catching
  7. lean — to bend
  8. net — after costs
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. pop — to visit
  12. net — in sport
  13. pop — soda
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. prune — to trim
  16. drill — the tool
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. rash — a series

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