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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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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. last — to go on
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. file — a line of people
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. last — final
  13. land — ground
  14. file — a tool
  15. last — finally
  16. prune — to trim
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. fine — high quality
  19. file — a document
  20. vault — a safe
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fine — all right

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