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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. drill — the tool
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. court — of law
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. drill — army training
  8. rule — government
  9. prune — to trim
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. court — of a king
  12. firm — a company
  13. rule — a law
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. firm — decided
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. prune — to trim
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. snap — to click
  22. court — for sport
  23. firm — steady
  24. drill — a practice

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