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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rock — a stone
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. saw — the tool
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. chair — a leader
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rock — music
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. rule — government
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. mine — for digging
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rule — a law

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