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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · row · prune · chair · mouse · ball · foot · stick

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. foot — a measure
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. ball — a great time
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chair — a leader
  9. row — a line
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. row — to paddle
  15. prune — to trim
  16. date — the fruit
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a dance
  24. prune — the fruit

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