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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. prune — to trim
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. prune — to trim
  11. court — of law
  12. staff — employees
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. capital — a city
  17. court — for sport
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. capital — money
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. court — of a king
  23. snap — to click
  24. arm — part of the body

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