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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. last — final
  3. prune — to trim
  4. suit — in cards
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. staff — employees
  11. suit — clothes
  12. suit — to fit
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cold — an illness
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. mate — a partner
  18. last — to go on
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a friend
  22. cold — not warm
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. last — finally

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