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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 124 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 is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. field — for sport
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cold — not warm
  10. date — the fruit
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wake — a trail
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. date — on the calendar

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