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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: stick · court · kid · foot · bear · pop · snap · prune

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. kid — child
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. court — of a king
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. court — for sport
  9. pop — soda
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pop — music
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. foot — a measure
  17. snap — to click
  18. bear — the animal
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. kid — to tease
  22. court — of law
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bear — the animal

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