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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. ground — the earth
  3. deal — to handle
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bore — to tire
  6. court — of a king
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rash — a series
  11. ground — a position
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. court — for sport
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mine — for digging
  19. court — of law
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. ground — crushed
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bore — to drill
  24. rash — hasty

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