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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. club — a group
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. mark — a trace
  16. plane — a tool
  17. club — for dancing
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. mark — a grade
  20. scale — in music
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. club — for golf

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