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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. prune — to trim
  3. chair — a leader
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mine — for digging
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — a thing
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. object — to protest
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. sharp — with an edge

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