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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. deal — to handle
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rash — a series
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. row — a line
  9. craft — boats
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. court — of law
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. row — to paddle
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. prune — to trim
  18. court — of a king
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. rash — hasty

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