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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. last — finally
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. last — to go on
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. last — final
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. mark — a trace
  17. rock — a stone
  18. scale — in music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. mark — a grade
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. rock — music
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mark — to pay attention

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