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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. cold — an illness
  3. game — a match
  4. can — a tin
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. lie — to recline
  11. cold — not warm
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. can — a tin
  19. prune — to trim
  20. can — to be able to
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cold — the Cold War
  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