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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. hand — help
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. prune — to trim
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — for digging
  9. hand — in cards
  10. sharp — clever
  11. court — of a king
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. court — of law
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. staff — employees
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. staff — a stick
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. staff — employees
  24. court — for sport

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