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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bat — the animal
  6. cue — for pool
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. cue — a hint
  10. last — finally
  11. ball — a dance
  12. prune — to trim
  13. court — of law
  14. cue — a signal
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. last — to go on
  18. saw — the tool
  19. ball — a great time
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. last — final
  23. prune — to trim
  24. saw — the tool

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