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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. wake — a trail
  6. prune — to trim
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. swing — in golf
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. swing — music
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. prune — to trim
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — to bear
  21. swing — to play on
  22. shower — rain
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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