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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. file — a line of people
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. squash — the sport
  5. land — a country
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — in cards
  8. roll — a list
  9. squash — to crush
  10. suit — clothes
  11. land — to come down
  12. file — a document
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. roll — a cake
  18. prune — to trim
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. land — ground
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. net — in sport
  23. file — a tool
  24. prune — to trim

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