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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rule — a law
  3. bound — obliged
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. last — finally
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cap — a lid
  8. capital — a city
  9. last — final
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. key — in music
  12. bound — certain
  13. rule — government
  14. key — for a lock
  15. last — to go on
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. capital — money
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cap — a hat
  22. key — the most important part
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cap — of ice

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