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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. last — finally
  7. degree — from a university
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. pit — a hole
  10. track — to keep track
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. track — a path
  13. degree — an amount
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pound — a weight
  22. prune — to trim
  23. track — a song
  24. snap — to click

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