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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. root — of a word
  6. rule — a law
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wound — an injury
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — a position
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. cap — a lid
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cap — of ice
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rule — government
  24. kid — child

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