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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. prune — to trim
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mine — for digging
  8. net — for catching
  9. ball — a great time
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. chip — for betting
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. net — after costs
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. net — in sport

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