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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. prune — to trim
  3. root — of a word
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. key — the most important part
  6. shower — rain
  7. key — for a lock
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. key — in music
  10. net — after costs
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. deal — to handle
  15. root — of a plant
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. root — the cause
  18. net — in sport
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. rule — a law
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. rule — government
  23. shower — to wash
  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