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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. staff — a stick
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mark — a trace
  16. staff — employees
  17. mark — a grade
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. lean — to bend
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. cold — not warm
  23. staff — employees
  24. wake — a trail

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