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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spell — letters
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a dance
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. toast — bread
  9. bear — the animal
  10. spell — magic
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bear — the animal
  14. roll — a list
  15. spell — a short time
  16. roll — a cake
  17. prune — to trim
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. prune — to trim
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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