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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. track — to keep track
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. track — a song
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. tear — to rip
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. prune — to trim
  19. track — a path
  20. rush — hurry
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. fork — in a road
  24. tear — from crying

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