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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — decided
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. can — a tin
  10. prune — to trim
  11. can — a tin
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. firm — steady
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cold — an illness
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. prune — to trim
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. sharp — exactly

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