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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 not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. present — a gift
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. degree — from a university
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. present — there
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. last — final
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. present — the time now
  14. rule — government
  15. deal — to handle
  16. degree — an amount
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. degree — temperature
  20. last — finally
  21. rule — a law
  22. last — to go on
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. ruler — a monarch

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