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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 120 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. suit — to fit
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. game — a match
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. dip — to sink
  12. wind — moving air
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bound — tied together
  17. suit — clothes
  18. bound — certain
  19. suit — in cards
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. game — wild animals
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. mine — for digging

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