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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. net — for catching
  3. charge — in control
  4. spell — a short time
  5. net — in sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. field — for sport
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. spell — magic
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. ball — a dance
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — a price
  16. field — a subject
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. net — after costs
  20. prune — to trim
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. date — the fruit
  23. ball — a great time
  24. date — on the calendar

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