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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 124 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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. season — of the year
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pass — a permit
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mine — for digging
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. wind — moving air

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