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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. drill — army training
  5. file — a line of people
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. cold — an illness
  9. file — a document
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cold — not warm
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mark — a trace
  19. rock — music
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. file — a tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. drill — a practice

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