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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. court — for sport
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rule — a law
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. saw — the tool
  11. court — of a king
  12. hand — in cards
  13. last — finally
  14. prune — to trim
  15. saw — the tool
  16. court — of law
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. last — to go on
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. rule — government
  21. prune — to trim
  22. hand — help
  23. lean — thin
  24. last — final

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