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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: ruler · sharp · pound · current · kick · bat · prune · cell

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. kick — in football
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. cell — in biology
  5. sharp — clever
  6. current — of water
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. cell — a phone
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. current — electric
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bat — the animal
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. current — happening now
  21. pound — a weight
  22. prune — to trim
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. sharp — exactly

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