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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 120 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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Word bank
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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 · pop · file · lash · court · coach · fine · chip

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. prune — to trim
  3. court — of a king
  4. pop — to visit
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pop — music
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. pop — soda
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. file — a document
  13. chip — to eat
  14. file — a line of people
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. chip — for betting
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. court — for sport
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. fine — high quality
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. file — a tool

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