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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 124 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. hand — in cards
  3. prune — to trim
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mate — a partner
  8. pop — soda
  9. court — of a king
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pop — music
  12. ground — a position
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. mate — a friend
  15. ground — the earth
  16. court — for sport
  17. mate — to breed
  18. hand — help
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ground — crushed
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wax — to grow
  23. pop — to visit
  24. coach — a trainer

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