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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. track — a song
  3. track — a path
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rule — a law
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. pitch — completely
  13. prune — to trim
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rule — government
  17. rock — music
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. fall — to drop

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