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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. season — in sport
  5. track — to keep track
  6. prune — to trim
  7. shower — to wash
  8. track — a song
  9. season — of the year
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. shower — rain
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bulb — for light
  17. track — a path
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. bulb — for light
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. bay — a horse colour

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