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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bound — certain
  5. net — for catching
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mate — a partner
  11. net — in sport
  12. wind — moving air
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. net — after costs
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bound — obliged
  21. mate — to breed
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. race — a contest

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