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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. fine — all right
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mate — a friend
  6. track — a path
  7. mug — a cup
  8. prune — to trim
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mug — a face
  14. track — to keep track
  15. mug — to rob
  16. dip — to sink
  17. mate — a partner
  18. track — a song
  19. perch — the fish
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. fine — high quality
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. prune — the fruit

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