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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. rule — a law
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pit — in a race
  10. spell — letters
  11. mug — a face
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. foot — a measure
  15. pit — a hole
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mug — a cup
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. last — finally
  22. rule — government
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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