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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cue — a hint
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — all right
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. snap — to click
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. cue — for pool
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cue — a signal
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cold — not warm

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