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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · prune · jam · court · club · fork · wound · ruler

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. fork — in a road
  7. deal — to handle
  8. club — for golf
  9. court — of a king
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. court — of law
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. court — for sport
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — a group
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wound — an injury
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. wound — an injury
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ruler — for measuring

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