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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. last — finally
  4. cell — a phone
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. net — for catching
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. net — after costs
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pitch — completely
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — in music
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cell — in biology
  18. last — final
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. net — in sport
  22. scale — size or range
  23. rash — a series
  24. last — to go on

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