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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. rule — a law
  3. craft — a skill
  4. drill — a practice
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. present — the time now
  8. drill — the tool
  9. degree — an amount
  10. stand — to bear
  11. net — in sport
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. present — a gift
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. degree — from a university
  16. drill — army training
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. net — for catching
  20. craft — boats
  21. prune — to trim
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rule — government
  24. net — after costs

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