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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bound — tied together
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. court — of law
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bound — certain
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. capital — money
  10. court — of a king
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mate — to breed
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. court — for sport
  15. dip — to sink
  16. kick — in football
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. capital — a city
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bound — obliged
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. mate — a friend

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