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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. last — finally
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. track — a song
  5. last — final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. date — the fruit
  16. snap — to click
  17. track — a path
  18. kid — child
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. last — to go on
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. track — to keep track
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bowl — to roll

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