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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. hand — help
  3. prune — to trim
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mug — a face
  6. sharp — clever
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hand — in cards
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rest — a break
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fine — all right
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. mug — a cup
  23. season — of the year
  24. rest — what's left

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