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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. sharp — clever
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. firm — a company
  9. spell — letters
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. season — in sport
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. firm — steady
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spell — magic
  18. bat — the animal
  19. firm — decided
  20. season — of the year
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spell — a short time
  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