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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 120 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — the earth
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. ground — crushed
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. charge — in control
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. game — wild animals
  13. charge — electricity
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. season — of the year
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. game — a match
  18. court — of law
  19. charge — a price
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. prune — to trim
  23. dip — to sink
  24. game — a kind of play

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