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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. sharp — clever
  3. last — final
  4. can — a tin
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. land — a country
  7. land — ground
  8. firm — steady
  9. land — to come down
  10. prune — to trim
  11. can — to be able to
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. firm — decided
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. firm — a company
  18. can — a tin
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. last — finally
  21. bat — the animal
  22. last — to go on
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. prune — to trim

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