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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. last — final
  4. wound — an injury
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. kick — in football
  7. court — of law
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mug — a cup
  10. last — finally
  11. mug — to rob
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. last — to go on
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mug — a face
  20. deal — to handle
  21. wound — an injury
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. deal — an agreement

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