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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. court — of law
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. season — of the year
  5. shower — rain
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. prune — to trim
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. court — of a king
  13. band — a ring
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. shower — to wash
  19. rest — a break
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. season — in sport
  23. prune — to trim
  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