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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 is in your ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. saw — the tool
  5. court — of a king
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. court — of law
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pop — music
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pass — a permit
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — to visit
  17. saw — the tool
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cap — of ice
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pass — to spend time

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