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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rest — a break
  3. bound — certain
  4. track — a path
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rest — what's left
  9. last — to go on
  10. land — to come down
  11. track — to keep track
  12. prune — to trim
  13. land — a country
  14. land — ground
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. last — finally
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. last — final
  24. track — a song

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