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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a dance
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. root — of a word
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. root — the cause
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. prune — to trim
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. court — of a king
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ball — a great time
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. court — of law
  23. court — for sport
  24. root — of a plant

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