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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. prune — to trim
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. clip — to cut
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pitch — completely
  13. last — final
  14. prune — to trim
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. clip — a video
  18. pit — in a race
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. face — to confront
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. pit — a hole

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