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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. kid — child
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. court — for sport
  5. prune — to trim
  6. court — of law
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. court — of a king
  21. kid — to tease
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. sharp — clever

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