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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: court · lash · prune · cap · bowl · ground · swing · deal

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. court — of law
  4. deal — to handle
  5. cap — a lid
  6. ground — the earth
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. ground — a position
  12. cap — a hat
  13. swing — music
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. swing — to play on
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cap — of ice
  20. court — for sport
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. court — of a king
  24. prune — to trim

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