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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. root — the cause
  4. rule — government
  5. firm — decided
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. root — of a word
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cold — an illness
  12. chest — a box
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rush — hurry
  16. root — of a plant
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. firm — steady
  23. rule — a law
  24. chest — of your body

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