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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. last — finally
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wind — moving air
  5. last — to go on
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a face
  8. prune — to trim
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mug — a cup
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. current — of water
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. current — electric
  16. degree — temperature
  17. last — final
  18. degree — from a university
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. current — happening now
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. toast — bread

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