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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. spell — letters
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. hand — help
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. court — of law
  14. net — for catching
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — for sport
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. spell — magic
  19. hand — in cards
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. net — after costs
  23. lie — to recline
  24. spell — a short time

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