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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. band — a ring
  5. rule — a law
  6. charge — electricity
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. rule — government
  13. hand — help
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. charge — a price
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. band — a music group
  21. charge — in control
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — in music
  24. hand — part of the body

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