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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: sharp · court · prune · bat · object · mug · fan · safe

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bat — the animal
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. object — a thing
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. prune — to trim
  10. object — an aim
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. court — of law
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mug — to rob
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mug — a face
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mug — a cup
  19. court — for sport
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. object — to protest
  22. court — of a king
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. sharp — clever

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