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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. ground — a position
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. ball — a dance
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — in control
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. charge — a price
  22. ground — the earth
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. ground — crushed

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