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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. cap — a hat
  3. rule — a law
  4. game — a match
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cap — of ice
  7. game — wild animals
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. stand — to bear
  10. drill — the tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rule — government
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. drill — a practice
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. net — for catching
  23. drill — army training
  24. prune — the fruit

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