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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. lean — thin
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. hand — in cards
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rule — government
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. lean — to bend
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bound — certain
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. prune — to trim
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rock — music
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. rule — a law
  24. hand — part of the body

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