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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. court — for sport
  4. hand — in cards
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. hand — help
  14. bank — for money
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. net — after costs
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bank — for money
  20. court — of a king
  21. net — for catching
  22. bank — of a river
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. net — in sport

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