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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. current — electric
  6. object — an aim
  7. current — happening now
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. object — to protest
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. present — the time now
  12. prune — to trim
  13. saw — the tool
  14. present — there
  15. prune — to trim
  16. saw — the tool
  17. current — of water
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. season — of the year
  21. present — a gift
  22. court — of a king
  23. season — in sport
  24. object — a thing

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