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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. prune — to trim
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. race — humankind
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — a phone
  12. race — a contest
  13. rule — government
  14. cap — of ice
  15. rule — a law
  16. cap — a hat
  17. scale — in music
  18. race — the arms race
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. cell — in biology
  24. scale — size or range

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