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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spring — of water
  4. rule — a law
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. chip — for betting
  13. rule — government
  14. mark — a trace
  15. spell — magic
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. chip — to eat
  19. prune — to trim
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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