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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: bowl · prune · court · stick · cue · fine · cap · cold

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. court — of law
  3. cue — a hint
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. cap — a hat
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. court — of a king
  17. fine — all right
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. court — for sport
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cold — an illness
  22. fine — high quality
  23. cue — a signal
  24. prune — the fruit

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