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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 116 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. wind — moving air
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. rule — a law
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. spring — of water
  9. court — of law
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. mate — a partner
  12. spring — the season
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mate — a friend
  15. rule — government
  16. wind — moving air
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. spring — a coil
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mate — to breed

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