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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. court — of law
  3. ball — a dance
  4. court — of a king
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. court — for sport
  8. craft — boats
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. perch — the fish
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. roll — a cake
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. craft — a skill
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. prune — to trim

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