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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. firm — decided
  5. clip — to cut
  6. shower — rain
  7. staff — employees
  8. prune — to trim
  9. staff — employees
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. firm — steady
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. mark — a trace
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. firm — a company
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. shower — to wash
  20. mark — a grade
  21. clip — a video
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. staff — a stick
  24. clip — for paper

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