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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. prune — to trim
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bound — certain
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bat — the animal
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bound — tied together
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. sharp — exactly

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