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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bat — the animal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. net — in sport
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. sharp — clever
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. chip — to eat
  21. net — for catching
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. net — after costs

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