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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ground — crushed
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. game — wild animals
  6. fine — high quality
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. pound — a weight
  9. ground — a position
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. last — final
  12. game — a match
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. tear — to rip
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. last — to go on
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fine — all right
  22. tear — from crying
  23. last — finally
  24. ground — the earth

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