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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rash — a series
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. fine — all right
  10. kick — in football
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. club — for dancing
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. club — for golf
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. rash — hasty
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. prune — to trim
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. fine — high quality
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rule — government
  24. club — a group

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