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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. hand — help
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bulb — for light
  7. present — there
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rule — government
  13. fork — in a road
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. present — the time now
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. rule — a law
  18. bulb — for light
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. scale — size or range
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. hand — in cards
  24. scale — in music

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