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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. club — for golf
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. file — a line of people
  6. plane — a tool
  7. prune — to trim
  8. club — a group
  9. pass — a permit
  10. rule — a law
  11. file — a tool
  12. stock — goods
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — government
  15. stock — shares
  16. club — for dancing
  17. kick — in football
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. file — a document
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. pass — to succeed

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