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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. suit — to fit
  3. mate — a partner
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. drill — a practice
  10. suit — clothes
  11. mate — to breed
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wound — an injury
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. drill — the tool
  18. cell — in biology
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wound — an injury
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mate — a friend
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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