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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. net — in sport
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. net — for catching
  5. court — of law
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pop — to visit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pop — music
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. net — after costs
  16. court — of a king
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. mate — a partner
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bound — tied together
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. court — for sport
  23. bound — certain
  24. pop — soda

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