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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · spell · foot · rash · ball · squash · court · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. squash — the sport
  4. spell — letters
  5. rash — hasty
  6. court — of law
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. cell — in biology
  9. spell — a short time
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. ball — a great time
  14. court — for sport
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a dance
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush
  19. court — of a king
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. rash — a series
  23. prune — to trim
  24. spell — magic

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