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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — to wash
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pit — a hole
  7. last — to go on
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. last — finally
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. last — final
  24. shower — rain

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