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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. race — humankind
  5. last — final
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mate — to breed
  9. last — finally
  10. prune — to trim
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. mate — a partner
  13. race — a contest
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rule — government
  19. last — to go on
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. race — the arms race
  22. pitch — completely
  23. rule — a law
  24. ruler — for measuring

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