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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. face — to confront
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. fine — all right
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. face — to point toward
  13. prune — to trim
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. face — part of the head
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. file — a document
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. file — a tool
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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