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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. pass — a permit
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. net — for catching
  7. track — to keep track
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. net — after costs
  10. track — a song
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. squash — to crush
  13. prune — to trim
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rock — a stone
  20. track — a path
  21. bat — the animal
  22. squash — the sport
  23. rock — music
  24. bat — in an idiom

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