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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bat — the animal
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. file — a document
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. prune — to trim
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. file — a tool
  19. pop — music
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. pop — to visit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. last — to go on

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