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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. key — the most important part
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. object — to protest
  5. court — for sport
  6. dip — to sink
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. ball — a great time
  11. court — of a king
  12. foot — a measure
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. court — of law
  15. object — an aim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. key — in music
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. ball — a dance
  20. key — for a lock
  21. object — a thing
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. ball — a round shape

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