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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. court — of a king
  4. prune — to trim
  5. can — to be able to
  6. prune — to trim
  7. can — a tin
  8. cell — a phone
  9. wind — moving air
  10. can — a tin
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. present — there
  17. present — a gift
  18. sharp — clever
  19. court — of law
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. court — for sport
  22. present — the time now
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. prune — the fruit

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