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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bear — the animal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. fine — high quality
  17. rock — a stone
  18. fine — all right
  19. chair — a leader
  20. rock — music
  21. court — of a king
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. straw — a straw man

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