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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. row — a line
  3. current — electric
  4. mark — a grade
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. prune — to trim
  10. current — of water
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. spell — magic
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bat — the animal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. current — happening now
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. mark — a trace

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