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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — an aim
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rule — a law
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. track — a song
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. object — a thing
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rule — government
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitch — completely
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a music group
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. track — a path
  24. leaves — of a tree

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