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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — to fit
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. court — of a king
  6. net — after costs
  7. court — of law
  8. spell — a short time
  9. court — for sport
  10. shower — rain
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. spell — magic
  14. prune — to trim
  15. key — for a lock
  16. spell — letters
  17. prune — to trim
  18. suit — in cards
  19. net — for catching
  20. shower — to wash
  21. key — the most important part
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. key — in music

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