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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 120 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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. net — after costs
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wake — a trail
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cell — in biology
  9. sharp — clever
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cell — a phone
  18. net — in sport
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. net — for catching
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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