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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. spell — magic
  6. prune — to trim
  7. club — a group
  8. staff — employees
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. staff — employees
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bark — to shout
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. spell — a short time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. club — for golf
  22. prune — to trim
  23. kick — in football
  24. spell — letters

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