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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. bound — certain
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. hand — help
  6. bound — tied together
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bass — the fish
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. hand — in cards
  12. date — the fruit
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. court — of law
  18. rush — hurry
  19. court — for sport
  20. bound — obliged
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bass — low music
  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