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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. mate — a friend
  5. net — after costs
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. club — a group
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pop — soda
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pop — music
  14. prune — to trim
  15. club — for golf
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. club — for dancing
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mate — to breed
  22. net — for catching
  23. toast — bread
  24. bowl — to roll

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