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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fall — the season
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fine — all right
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fall — to drop
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. cap — a hat
  13. prune — to trim
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lean — to bend
  16. cap — a lid
  17. lean — thin
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fine — high quality

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