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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. firm — decided
  3. net — in sport
  4. hand — help
  5. fine — high quality
  6. scale — in music
  7. firm — steady
  8. hand — in cards
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. chair — a leader
  12. scale — size or range
  13. net — for catching
  14. fine — all right
  15. firm — a company
  16. net — after costs
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. sharp — clever
  21. prune — to trim
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. sharp — with an edge

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