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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. prune — to trim
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rule — government
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. face — to point toward
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — to crush
  10. tube — the underground
  11. season — in sport
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. face — to confront
  15. tube — a container
  16. face — part of the head
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rule — a law
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. prune — to trim

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