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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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. last — finally
  10. prune — to trim
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. squash — to crush
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bulb — for light
  17. last — final
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. shower — rain
  20. bulb — for light
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. last — to go on
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. shower — to wash

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