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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. prune — to trim
  3. court — of a king
  4. key — in music
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — high quality
  7. capital — money
  8. press — to push
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. court — of law
  11. capital — a city
  12. key — for a lock
  13. content — happy
  14. key — the most important part
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. prune — to trim
  21. press — newspapers
  22. court — for sport
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. press — a publisher

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