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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 ball is in your ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. court — for sport
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. court — of a king
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. face — to point toward
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. ground — the earth
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. court — of law
  12. spell — letters
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. spell — magic
  17. face — part of the head
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. face — to confront
  20. prune — to trim
  21. ground — a position
  22. spell — a short time
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. ground — crushed

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