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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: lie · net · court · fan · trunk · hand · sharp · prune

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. sharp — clever
  4. net — for catching
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. net — after costs
  12. court — for sport
  13. net — in sport
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. court — of a king
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. court — of law
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. lie — to recline
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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