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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pit — a hole
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. prune — to trim
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bore — to drill
  11. roll — a list
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bore — to tire
  14. roll — a cake
  15. prune — to trim
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. rule — government
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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