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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bank — of a river
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cell — a phone
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. court — for sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. face — to confront
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. prune — to trim
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — a gift
  17. court — of law
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. present — there
  22. cell — in biology
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. court — of a king

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