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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. court — of law
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. court — of a king
  7. perch — the fish
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. row — to paddle
  11. face — to point toward
  12. row — a line
  13. field — for sport
  14. court — for sport
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. prune — to trim
  17. field — farmland
  18. prune — to trim
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. face — part of the head
  22. field — a subject
  23. face — to confront
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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