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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pitch — completely
  3. saw — the tool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — goods
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stock — shares
  13. cue — for pool
  14. staff — employees
  15. net — for catching
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cue — a signal
  18. staff — employees
  19. cue — a hint
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. staff — a stick
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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