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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pit — in a race
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. board — a committee
  8. field — farmland
  9. court — of law
  10. board — to get on
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. field — for sport
  15. pit — a hole
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. field — a subject

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