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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rest — a break
  8. bear — the animal
  9. game — wild animals
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rule — government
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mark — a grade
  14. degree — temperature
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rule — a law
  22. game — a match
  23. bear — the animal
  24. degree — from a university

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