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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. court — for sport
  4. key — for a lock
  5. swing — music
  6. key — in music
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — to play on
  9. ball — a great time
  10. craft — a skill
  11. prune — to trim
  12. craft — boats
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mug — to rob
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. file — a tool
  18. prune — to trim
  19. key — the most important part
  20. file — a document
  21. mug — a cup
  22. court — of law
  23. ball — a dance
  24. court — of a king

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