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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cell — in biology
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cap — of ice
  7. can — a tin
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rule — a law
  11. can — a tin
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. prune — to trim
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rule — government
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. hide — animal skin

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