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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pitch — completely
  3. court — of a king
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — to sink
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. present — a gift
  12. deal — to handle
  13. land — ground
  14. present — there
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. present — the time now
  17. court — for sport
  18. prune — to trim
  19. land — to come down
  20. court — of law
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. land — a country
  24. prune — the fruit

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