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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mug — a cup
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. firm — a company
  8. present — the time now
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. prune — to trim
  13. present — a gift
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. present — there
  16. firm — steady
  17. firm — decided
  18. mug — a face
  19. sharp — clever
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mug — to rob
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. saw — the tool

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