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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 116 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  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. prune — the fruit
  2. cold — an illness
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. suit — in cards
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. shower — rain
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. suit — to fit
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. prune — to trim
  13. suit — clothes
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. prune — to trim
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — a leader
  20. cold — not warm
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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