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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. drill — a practice
  3. object — a thing
  4. last — final
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. last — finally
  9. object — an aim
  10. swing — to play on
  11. land — ground
  12. swing — music
  13. drill — army training
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. drill — the tool
  16. land — a country
  17. swing — in golf
  18. object — to protest
  19. last — to go on
  20. prune — to trim
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. prune — to trim

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