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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. court — for sport
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. court — of law
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. net — for catching
  12. kick — in football
  13. ball — a great time
  14. net — in sport
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. net — after costs
  17. date — the fruit
  18. court — of a king
  19. ball — a dance
  20. chest — a box
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. prune — to trim

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