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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. ball — a great time
  7. season — of the year
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bound — obliged
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bound — certain
  13. present — there
  14. drill — army training
  15. present — a gift
  16. bound — tied together
  17. prune — to trim
  18. season — in sport
  19. rule — government
  20. present — the time now
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rule — a law
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — a practice

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