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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. rule — government
  6. track — a song
  7. prune — to trim
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. capital — a city
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rule — a law
  13. lean — thin
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. lean — to bend
  17. file — a document
  18. face — part of the head
  19. track — to keep track
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pass — a permit
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. face — to confront
  24. capital — money

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