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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. face — to confront
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pit — a hole
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — a stone
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. last — finally
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pit — in a race
  15. face — part of the head
  16. last — final
  17. track — a path
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. last — to go on
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. chip — to eat
  24. track — a song

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