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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. ground — a position
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. file — a document
  8. hand — in cards
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. kick — in football
  12. hand — help
  13. rock — a stone
  14. file — a tool
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. rock — music
  17. rule — government
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rule — a law
  23. file — a line of people
  24. kick — with a leg

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