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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. squash — to crush
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. rest — what's left
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rule — government
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. squash — the sport
  9. rule — a law
  10. court — for sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. prune — to trim
  15. dip — to sink
  16. net — for catching
  17. mark — a trace
  18. court — of law
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. net — in sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. net — after costs
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mark — a grade

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