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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ground — the earth
  3. current — happening now
  4. spell — magic
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. current — of water
  9. ball — a dance
  10. prune — to trim
  11. ground — crushed
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. spell — a short time
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. current — electric
  19. spell — letters
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. ground — a position
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pitcher — a jug

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