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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rule — a law
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bat — the animal
  7. lie — to recline
  8. prune — to trim
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — a thing
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. prune — to trim
  15. object — to protest
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. leaves — to go away

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