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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. fine — all right
  4. prune — to trim
  5. object — to protest
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — final
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. track — a song
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. fine — high quality
  13. track — to keep track
  14. prune — to trim
  15. track — a path
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. object — an aim
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. object — a thing

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