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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. prune — to trim
  4. court — of law
  5. mark — a trace
  6. shower — rain
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. club — for dancing
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. prune — to trim
  13. court — of a king
  14. track — a song
  15. club — for golf
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. court — for sport
  19. club — a group
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. mark — a grade

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