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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. rule — government
  3. cell — a phone
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cell — in biology
  13. foot — a measure
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. degree — temperature
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rule — a law
  24. deal — to handle

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