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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mug — to rob
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. degree — an amount
  11. last — final
  12. degree — temperature
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rule — a law
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. last — finally
  21. mug — a face
  22. last — to go on
  23. mug — a cup
  24. safe — out of danger

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