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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. present — a gift
  4. land — a country
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — bread
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. present — there
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. prune — to trim
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. land — ground
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. prune — to trim
  23. land — to come down
  24. jam — a tight spot

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