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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  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. club — for dancing
  2. can — to be able to
  3. fall — the season
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rest — a break
  7. cell — in biology
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rule — government
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cell — a phone
  12. can — a tin
  13. club — for golf
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lie — to recline
  16. rule — a law
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fall — to drop
  19. club — a group
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. rest — what's left
  22. can — a tin
  23. lie — an untruth
  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