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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. last — to go on
  3. prune — to trim
  4. court — of a king
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. squash — to crush
  8. net — in sport
  9. prune — to trim
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pitch — completely
  13. squash — the sport
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. net — for catching
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bear — the animal
  19. court — for sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. net — after costs
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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