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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fall — the season
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. prune — to trim
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. perch — the fish
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. kid — child
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — government
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. land — a country

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