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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — clever
  5. cell — in biology
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bear — the animal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. spell — a short time
  12. key — for a lock
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. stock — shares
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. chair — a leader
  19. spell — magic
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cell — a phone
  22. stock — goods
  23. spell — letters
  24. chair — a professorship

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