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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. last — to go on
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rule — a law
  10. tube — a container
  11. last — finally
  12. bass — low music
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bulb — for light
  16. sharp — clever
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. prune — to trim
  21. shower — rain
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. rule — government
  24. last — final

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