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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. net — for catching
  3. pop — music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. net — after costs
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. cold — not warm
  8. mug — a cup
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — to rob
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. net — in sport
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stand — to bear
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cold — an illness

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