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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. ground — crushed
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. hand — in cards
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. prune — to trim
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — happy
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. chair — a leader
  18. ground — a position
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. hand — help
  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