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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pass — a permit
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. cap — of ice
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. spring — the season
  12. court — for sport
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. spring — of water
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cap — a hat
  21. prune — to trim
  22. roll — a list
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mine — an explosive

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