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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. track — to keep track
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. prune — to trim
  7. last — final
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mark — a grade
  10. last — to go on
  11. suit — clothes
  12. cold — an illness
  13. last — finally
  14. prune — to trim
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. track — a song
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. suit — to fit
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cold — not warm
  21. suit — in cards
  22. track — a path
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. perch — the fish

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