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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. can — a tin
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. spell — letters
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rule — a law
  11. prune — to trim
  12. can — a tin
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. can — to be able to
  15. spell — a short time
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. spell — magic
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. snap — to click
  21. rule — government
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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