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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. fall — to drop
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. court — of a king
  5. spring — a coil
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. spring — the season
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. court — for sport
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. court — of law
  14. fall — the season
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. chair — a leader
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. spring — of water
  22. hand — help
  23. prune — to trim
  24. hand — 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