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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wound — an injury
  4. drill — the tool
  5. suit — to fit
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. squash — the sport
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. court — of law
  11. last — finally
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. drill — army training
  16. suit — in cards
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. suit — clothes
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. prune — to trim
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. drill — a practice

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