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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. scale — size or range
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mate — a partner
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. court — of a king
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. spring — of water
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cell — a phone
  16. scale — in music
  17. mate — to breed
  18. spring — a coil
  19. mate — a friend
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. spring — the season
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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