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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 116 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. pop — to visit
  3. last — final
  4. file — a document
  5. pop — soda
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. file — a tool
  8. last — to go on
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. prune — to trim
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rest — what's left
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. file — a line of people
  18. last — finally
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. dip — to sink
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. snap — to click
  24. pop — music

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