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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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 — the fruit
  2. bass — the fish
  3. current — of water
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fall — to drop
  7. game — wild animals
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. game — a match
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. court — for sport
  14. fall — the season
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ball — a dance
  19. current — happening now
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — low music
  22. current — electric
  23. prune — to trim
  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