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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. can — a tin
  3. pit — in a race
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. swing — in golf
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. pit — a hole
  17. swing — to play on
  18. spell — a short time
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. can — to be able to
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. can — a tin
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. chair — a leader

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