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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. prune — to trim
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. wake — a trail
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. prune — to trim
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. row — to paddle
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. row — a line
  14. snap — to click
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. sharp — clever
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. mark — a grade

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