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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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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: arm · prune · sharp · straw · pit · cue · mine · deal

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. deal — to handle
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a hole
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cue — for pool
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mine — belonging to me

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