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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.

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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: foot · bowl · sharp · lean · prune · straw · mug · pitcher

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. mug — a cup
  6. lean — thin
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. prune — to trim
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mug — a face
  16. foot — a measure
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mug — to rob
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. prune — the fruit

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