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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mate — to breed
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. rule — a law
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rule — government
  8. land — to come down
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mate — a friend
  14. prune — to trim
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mate — a partner
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pop — soda
  23. land — a country
  24. coach — a trainer

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