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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. court — of law
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. net — after costs
  6. court — of a king
  7. mark — a trace
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — in control
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. net — for catching
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wind — moving air
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. charge — a price
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. net — in sport
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. prune — to trim
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — an eyelash

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