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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. court — for sport
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rest — what's left
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bore — to drill
  11. drill — army training
  12. spring — of water
  13. court — of law
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. rest — what's left
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. drill — a practice
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bore — to tire
  22. rest — a break
  23. court — of a king
  24. sharp — clever

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