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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rule — government
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. prune — to trim
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. row — a line
  12. pop — soda
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pop — music
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pop — to visit
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rule — a law
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. rule — to rule out

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