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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. mark — a grade
  6. game — wild animals
  7. prune — to trim
  8. club — a group
  9. row — a line
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. rule — government
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. rule — a law
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. game — a match
  21. club — for golf
  22. can — a tin
  23. club — for dancing
  24. row — to paddle

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