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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 120 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — in football
  3. saw — the tool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. row — a line
  9. rule — a law
  10. present — there
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rule — government
  14. row — to paddle
  15. saw — the tool
  16. present — a gift
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. chair — a leader
  21. present — the time now
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ruler — for measuring

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