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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. pit — in a race
  6. track — a path
  7. spell — letters
  8. prune — to trim
  9. spell — magic
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. track — to keep track
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. chair — a leader
  19. lean — to bend
  20. spell — a short time
  21. lean — thin
  22. prune — to trim
  23. track — a song
  24. prune — the fruit

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