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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. roll — a cake
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rule — a law
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — a signal
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. race — the arms race
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cue — for pool
  13. rule — government
  14. race — a contest
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. race — humankind
  21. roll — a list
  22. date — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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