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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pop — music
  4. firm — decided
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. file — a document
  8. prune — to trim
  9. row — a line
  10. mark — a trace
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pit — a hole
  15. land — a country
  16. firm — a company
  17. land — ground
  18. firm — steady
  19. pit — in a race
  20. mark — a grade
  21. pop — to visit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pop — soda
  24. file — a tool

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