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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. cell — a phone
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. stock — goods
  19. sharp — clever
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. stock — shares
  23. prune — to trim
  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