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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 116 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. court — of a king
  4. squash — to crush
  5. press — to push
  6. court — for sport
  7. suit — to fit
  8. press — newspapers
  9. court — of law
  10. object — a thing
  11. wound — an injury
  12. spring — of water
  13. suit — clothes
  14. press — a publisher
  15. squash — the sport
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. object — an aim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wound — an injury
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. suit — in cards

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