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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. rest — what's left
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. chip — to eat
  6. prune — to trim
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. lie — to recline
  9. field — farmland
  10. pop — music
  11. field — for sport
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. chip — for betting
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pop — soda
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pop — to visit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. field — a subject
  24. straw — a straw man

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