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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. staff — employees
  3. court — of a king
  4. ball — a great time
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. net — after costs
  8. ball — a dance
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — bread
  12. track — a song
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to bend
  15. track — a path
  16. court — for sport
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. prune — to trim
  19. court — of law
  20. track — to keep track
  21. net — in sport
  22. staff — a stick
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. staff — employees

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