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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 116 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. swing — in golf
  3. prune — to trim
  4. last — final
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. last — to go on
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. can — a tin
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — government
  14. degree — temperature
  15. swing — to play on
  16. degree — from a university
  17. last — finally
  18. prune — to trim
  19. kick — in football
  20. degree — an amount
  21. swing — music
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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