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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cell — a phone
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — tied together
  8. game — wild animals
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. ground — crushed
  14. lean — thin
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. ground — a position
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. game — a match
  21. ground — the earth
  22. lean — to bend
  23. sharp — clever
  24. prune — to trim

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