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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. firm — steady
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. firm — decided
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mate — a friend
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mate — to breed
  19. firm — a company
  20. bass — low music
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bass — the fish

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