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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. lean — thin
  3. rule — a law
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. ball — a dance
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. lean — to bend
  15. rule — government
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cue — a hint
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. ball — a great time
  24. calf — a young animal

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