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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. mug — a face
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rule — a law
  7. pass — a permit
  8. rule — government
  9. last — finally
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. mug — a cup
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. last — final
  15. pit — in a race
  16. tube — the underground
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. content — happy
  19. pit — a hole
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — a container
  22. mug — to rob
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rule — to rule out

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