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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 116 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. staff — employees
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. prune — to trim
  5. court — of a king
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rock — music
  8. shower — rain
  9. charge — a price
  10. prune — to trim
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. court — for sport
  14. rock — a stone
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — electricity
  17. spell — magic
  18. spring — of water
  19. spell — letters
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. shower — to wash
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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