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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. sharp — exactly
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. prune — to trim
  4. deal — to handle
  5. perch — the fish
  6. sharp — clever
  7. court — of law
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. prune — to trim
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. spell — a short time
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. spell — letters
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. spell — magic
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — for sport
  22. dip — to sink
  23. deal — an agreement
  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