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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. scale — size or range
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. prune — to trim
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pit — a hole
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. game — wild animals
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. prune — to trim
  17. lie — to recline
  18. scale — in music
  19. game — a match
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. sharp — clever
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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