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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. rule — a law
  6. pound — a weight
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rule — government
  10. wind — moving air
  11. game — a match
  12. prune — to trim
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rock — a stone
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. rock — music
  24. cold — not warm

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