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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. fine — all right
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. prune — to trim
  12. scale — in music
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. court — for sport
  19. perch — the fish
  20. last — finally
  21. court — of a king
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fine — high quality
  24. calf — of the leg

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