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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. court — of a king
  3. rest — what's left
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. court — of law
  8. rest — what's left
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. court — for sport
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bound — certain
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bound — tied together
  18. rest — a break
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cell — a phone
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. cell — in a prison

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