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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. rule — government
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rule — a law
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. object — an aim
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. object — to protest
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. prune — to trim
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. bulb — for light
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pit — in a race
  19. lean — to bend
  20. band — a music group
  21. lean — thin
  22. object — a thing
  23. bulb — for light
  24. band — a ring

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