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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. net — after costs
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. net — in sport
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. net — for catching
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. tube — a container
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rule — government
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  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