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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. prune — to trim
  3. last — to go on
  4. board — a committee
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bore — to tire
  7. last — finally
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bass — the fish
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bass — low music
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bore — to drill
  16. tube — a container
  17. last — final
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — government
  21. kick — in football
  22. board — to get on
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. rule — to rule out

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