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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 120 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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. prune — to trim
  3. court — for sport
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. firm — a company
  7. court — of a king
  8. plane — a tool
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. wind — moving air
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. court — of law
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. firm — decided
  20. wind — moving air
  21. firm — steady
  22. snap — to click
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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