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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. prune — to trim
  7. sharp — clever
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. cell — in biology
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cell — a phone
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. nail — for a hammer

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