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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bore — to tire
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stock — shares
  16. cold — not warm
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bound — certain
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bound — tied together
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — in music
  24. key — for a lock

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