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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. last — final
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mug — a cup
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. firm — steady
  7. last — finally
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. track — a path
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mug — a face
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. firm — a company
  14. track — a song
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. prune — to trim
  17. last — to go on
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. vault — a safe
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. mug — to rob
  22. firm — decided
  23. branch — a division
  24. prune — to trim

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