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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. game — a match
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rule — a law
  7. mark — a grade
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. squash — the sport
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rule — government
  14. plane — a tool
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. game — wild animals
  17. squash — to crush
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a trace

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