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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. swing — music
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — obliged
  6. pitch — completely
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. clip — for paper
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. staff — employees
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. clip — a video
  17. firm — steady
  18. swing — to play on
  19. prune — to trim
  20. clip — to cut
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — decided
  23. bound — tied together
  24. swing — in golf

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