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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 124 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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rule — government
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. club — for dancing
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. club — for golf
  12. lie — to recline
  13. mark — a grade
  14. tear — from crying
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. tear — to rip
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rule — a law
  19. net — after costs
  20. club — a group
  21. mark — a trace
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. net — in sport

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