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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cap — a hat
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. prune — to trim
  6. court — of a king
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. track — to keep track
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. kid — to tease
  14. cap — of ice
  15. kid — child
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cap — a lid
  18. plane — a tool
  19. mark — a grade
  20. track — a song
  21. court — of law
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. track — a path
  24. court — for sport

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