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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. band — a ring
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. prune — to trim
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wake — a trail
  11. band — a music group
  12. firm — steady
  13. sharp — clever
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. firm — a company
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. firm — decided
  24. band — a rubber band

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