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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. roll — a cake
  3. prune — to trim
  4. court — of a king
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. court — of law
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rush — hurry
  11. face — to confront
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. face — part of the head
  14. roll — a list
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. court — for sport
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rash — a series
  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