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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pitch — completely
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. last — to go on
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. prune — to trim
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rule — a law
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. branch — a division
  18. prune — to trim
  19. last — finally
  20. last — final
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. prune — the fruit

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