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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. key — in music
  3. wind — moving air
  4. court — for sport
  5. capital — money
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. court — of a king
  8. wind — moving air
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. can — a tin
  11. season — of the year
  12. can — to be able to
  13. key — for a lock
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. key — the most important part
  17. capital — a city
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. season — in sport
  22. prune — to trim
  23. can — a tin
  24. court — of law

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