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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. date — the fruit
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rest — what's left
  5. file — a line of people
  6. prune — to trim
  7. race — humankind
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. file — a tool
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. race — a contest
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. drill — army training
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. race — the arms race
  17. rest — a break
  18. file — a document
  19. toast — bread
  20. rest — what's left
  21. prune — to trim
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. drill — a practice

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