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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. lie — to recline
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. ball — a dance
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. land — a country
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. court — of a king
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. swing — in golf
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pass — a permit
  18. land — ground
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. land — to come down
  22. court — of law
  23. prune — to trim
  24. court — for sport

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