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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. club — for dancing
  5. prune — to trim
  6. club — for golf
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. object — to protest
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. court — of law
  13. cell — in biology
  14. club — a group
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kick — in football
  17. court — of a king
  18. bark — to shout
  19. cell — a phone
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. object — a thing
  22. court — for sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. object — an aim

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