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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. club — for dancing
  5. track — a song
  6. prune — to trim
  7. track — to keep track
  8. board — a committee
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. club — for golf
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. present — the time now
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rule — government
  16. club — a group
  17. present — there
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. track — a path
  20. prune — to trim
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. foot — a measure
  23. board — to get on
  24. present — a gift

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