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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. rash — a series
  3. cue — for pool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. net — after costs
  6. last — final
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. net — for catching
  14. last — to go on
  15. row — to paddle
  16. net — in sport
  17. row — a line
  18. pit — in a race
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. prune — to trim
  22. last — finally
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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