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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. ball — a dance
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. season — of the year
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. saw — the tool
  13. court — of law
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. ball — a great time
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. prune — to trim
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. saw — the tool

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