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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bound — obliged
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. row — a line
  7. track — a song
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bound — certain
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pit — in a race
  12. snap — to click
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. track — to keep track
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wake — a trail
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. row — to paddle
  22. track — a path
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. row — a quarrel

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