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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — in cards
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. suit — clothes
  10. prune — to trim
  11. game — wild animals
  12. snap — to click
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. season — of the year
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport
  19. bat — the animal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. game — a match
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. deal — a big deal

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