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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. last — finally
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. can — a tin
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bat — the animal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cell — a phone
  17. last — final
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bark — to shout
  20. last — to go on
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. can — a tin

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