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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. rule — to rule out
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — boats
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. rule — government
  8. field — farmland
  9. row — a line
  10. chip — for betting
  11. season — in sport
  12. rule — a law
  13. row — to paddle
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. season — of the year
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pass — a permit
  21. chip — to eat
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  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