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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. sharp — clever
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. spring — of water
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cap — a lid
  10. prune — to trim
  11. swing — music
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spring — a coil
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cap — a hat
  18. swing — in golf
  19. spring — the season
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. swing — to play on
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cap — of ice
  24. pitcher — a jug

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