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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. game — a match
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. pit — a hole
  9. staff — a stick
  10. stem — to come from
  11. prune — to trim
  12. staff — employees
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. rule — a law
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pit — in a race
  17. staff — employees
  18. plane — a tool
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. game — wild animals
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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