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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fine — all right
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. season — of the year
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fork — in a road
  9. rule — a law
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. season — in sport
  12. row — a line
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. prune — to trim
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. row — to paddle
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. fine — high quality
  21. rule — government
  22. lie — to recline
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. row — a quarrel

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