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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 120 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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. pitch — completely
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. scale — size or range
  8. prune — to trim
  9. scale — in music
  10. rule — a law
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. plane — a tool
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rule — government
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — the sport
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. squash — to crush
  21. capital — a city
  22. chest — a box
  23. capital — money
  24. chest — of your body

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