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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. pop — music
  3. lean — to bend
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. court — of a king
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pop — soda
  10. rule — government
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. court — of law
  16. bear — the animal
  17. fall — the season
  18. rule — a law
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pop — to visit
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. court — for sport

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