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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. mine — for digging
  5. swing — music
  6. spring — a coil
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. rule — government
  11. spring — the season
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. rule — a law
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. court — for sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spring — of water
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. swing — to play on
  24. safe — out of danger

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