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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. game — wild animals
  3. net — after costs
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pit — a hole
  7. can — to be able to
  8. net — for catching
  9. suit — in cards
  10. net — in sport
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. suit — clothes
  16. can — a tin
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pit — in a race
  21. can — a tin
  22. suit — to fit
  23. game — a match
  24. tear — from crying

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