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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rule — government
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fine — all right
  7. race — a contest
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. race — the arms race
  11. last — final
  12. perch — the fish
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. race — humankind
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. last — to go on
  18. fine — high quality
  19. rule — a law
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — bread
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. last — finally

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