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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a face
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. mug — a cup
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. court — of law
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. kick — in football
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rash — a series
  15. file — a tool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. court — of a king
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a line of people
  23. rash — hasty
  24. court — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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