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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. dip — to sink
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. last — to go on
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. last — final
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. row — a line
  21. bat — the animal
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wind — moving air

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