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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. swing — music
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. stock — goods
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. rule — a law
  9. pop — to visit
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. stock — shares
  12. prune — to trim
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pop — soda
  18. swing — in golf
  19. rule — government
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pop — 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