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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. cell — a phone
  3. net — in sport
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — a law
  6. bear — the animal
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bear — the animal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. net — for catching
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rule — government
  14. prune — to trim
  15. net — after costs
  16. cell — in biology
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — thin

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