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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. staff — employees
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. kick — in football
  9. squash — the sport
  10. staff — employees
  11. current — electric
  12. rule — government
  13. march — the month
  14. current — happening now
  15. prune — to trim
  16. march — music
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. current — of water
  19. staff — a stick
  20. squash — to crush
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. march — the month
  23. kick — a thrill
  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