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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. spring — of water
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bass — low music
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bass — the fish
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pop — soda
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. prune — to trim
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pop — music
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pop — to visit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. kid — child
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. lie — to recline
  24. spring — the season

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