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

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. shower — rain
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. fine — all right
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. shower — to wash
  11. lean — thin
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rush — hurry
  14. field — a subject
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. lean — to bend
  17. fine — high quality
  18. field — for sport
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. field — farmland
  23. sharp — exactly
  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