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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. capital — money
  5. prune — to trim
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. club — for golf
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. rule — government
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. club — a group
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. capital — a city
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a ring
  18. club — for dancing
  19. rule — a law
  20. mine — for digging
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to spend time

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