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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mark — a grade
  3. dip — to sink
  4. staff — employees
  5. prune — to trim
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. kid — to tease
  10. court — of law
  11. swing — to play on
  12. court — of a king
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. swing — music
  16. bore — to drill
  17. mark — a trace
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. staff — employees
  21. prune — to trim
  22. kid — child
  23. staff — a stick
  24. swing — in golf

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