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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 · chest · present · snap · rest · prune · court · mug

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. present — there
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rest — a break
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rest — what's left
  8. chest — of your body
  9. snap — to click
  10. mug — to rob
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rest — what's left
  14. court — of law
  15. chest — a box
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — a cup
  18. court — for sport
  19. deal — to handle
  20. present — the time now
  21. prune — to trim
  22. court — of a king
  23. present — a gift
  24. deal — a big deal

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