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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. bass — the fish
  3. net — for catching
  4. charge — in control
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. charge — electricity
  8. net — in sport
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. net — after costs
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bass — low music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rule — government
  18. charge — a price
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rule — a law
  23. prune — to trim
  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