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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. net — for catching
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fine — all right
  12. net — in sport
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. fine — high quality
  17. net — after costs
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. deal — to handle
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. vault — a safe

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