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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. net — after costs
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. charge — a price
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. spell — letters
  7. vault — a safe
  8. net — in sport
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. charge — in control
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. rule — a law
  16. charge — electricity
  17. net — for catching
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — government
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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