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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. court — of a king
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. court — for sport
  10. pitch — completely
  11. court — of law
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. prune — to trim
  18. date — the fruit
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. stem — to come from
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. stem — a stem cell

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