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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bear — the animal
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pop — to visit
  7. ground — the earth
  8. game — wild animals
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wake — a trail
  11. game — a match
  12. drill — army training
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pop — music
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ground — a position
  18. ball — a great time
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pop — soda
  22. ground — crushed
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. prune — the fruit

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