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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. present — the time now
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. spring — the season
  5. present — a gift
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. rule — government
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. spring — of water
  12. rule — a law
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. spring — a coil
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. present — there

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