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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wound — an injury
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. court — of law
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bore — to tire
  10. swing — to play on
  11. last — final
  12. court — of a king
  13. charge — in control
  14. swing — in golf
  15. rule — government
  16. charge — electricity
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. swing — music
  20. bore — to drill
  21. court — for sport
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rule — a law
  24. charge — a price

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