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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bound — obliged
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. prune — to trim
  12. clip — for paper
  13. deal — to handle
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bound — tied together
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — a video
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. land — a country
  24. date — on the calendar

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