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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 124 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. court — of law
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. press — to push
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. prune — to trim
  8. sharp — clever
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. press — newspapers
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. press — a publisher
  14. spring — of water
  15. prune — to trim
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. court — for sport
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. prune — the fruit

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