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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. court — of law
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. prune — to trim
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. court — for sport
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. court — of a king
  12. game — wild animals
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. roll — a cake
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lie — to recline
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. game — a match
  24. roll — a list

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