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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. court — of a king
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. present — there
  5. court — of law
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. field — for sport
  9. prune — to trim
  10. present — a gift
  11. fall — the season
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. field — farmland
  16. prune — to trim
  17. present — the time now
  18. pit — a hole
  19. current — of water
  20. fall — to drop
  21. court — for sport
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. field — a subject

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