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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: prune · roll · kid · toast · dip · court · foot · bay

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. court — for sport
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. toast — bread
  11. prune — to trim
  12. kid — child
  13. court — of law
  14. dip — to sink
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. court — of a king
  17. prune — to trim
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. foot — a measure
  21. kid — to tease
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. roll — a list

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