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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: prune · bowl · chair · squash · pass · sharp · bat · cabinet

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. squash — the sport
  17. prune — to trim
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. sharp — clever
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bat — the animal

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