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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. last — to go on
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pop — to visit
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pit — a hole
  8. last — final
  9. dip — to sink
  10. rest — what's left
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pop — soda
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. drill — army training
  18. pop — music
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. last — finally
  23. rest — a break
  24. prune — to trim

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