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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mark — a trace
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. capital — a city
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. track — a song
  8. pit — a hole
  9. capital — money
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. rule — government
  13. prune — to trim
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pit — in a race
  19. rule — a law
  20. mark — a grade
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. capital — a big letter

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