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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. kid — child
  14. court — of a king
  15. kid — to tease
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — a position
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. ground — crushed
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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