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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. prune — to trim
  3. object — a thing
  4. spell — magic
  5. suit — in cards
  6. fine — all right
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. field — a subject
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. object — an aim
  16. spell — letters
  17. can — a tin
  18. field — farmland
  19. object — to protest
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — to fit
  22. spell — a short time
  23. field — for sport
  24. fine — high quality

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