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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. net — in sport
  4. season — in sport
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pound — a weight
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. object — an aim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. season — of the year
  14. ball — a dance
  15. object — to protest
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. prune — to trim
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. object — a thing
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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