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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. ball — a dance
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rule — government
  9. bear — the animal
  10. field — farmland
  11. chair — a leader
  12. rule — a law
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. field — for sport
  15. prune — to trim
  16. squash — to crush
  17. prune — to trim
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bear — the animal
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. field — a subject
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bear — to put up with

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