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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 124 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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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: cabinet · sharp · net · prune · bound · bat · hide · swing

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. net — after costs
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bound — certain
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. swing — to play on
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bound — obliged
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. prune — to trim
  19. swing — music
  20. bound — tied together
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bat — the animal
  23. prune — to trim
  24. net — in sport

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