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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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. chair — a leader
  2. cue — a hint
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cue — a signal
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. object — a thing
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. rule — a law
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bound — certain
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — an aim
  21. rule — government
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bound — obliged
  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