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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. prune — to trim
  4. sharp — clever
  5. season — of the year
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. face — part of the head
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. face — to confront
  15. season — in sport
  16. current — of water
  17. prune — to trim
  18. current — electric
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. current — happening now
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. face — to point toward

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