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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rash — a series
  4. pass — a permit
  5. scale — in music
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rule — a law
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. rule — government
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. scale — size or range
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pop — to visit

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