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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bat — the animal
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mug — a face
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. mug — a cup
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rule — a law
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. fine — all right
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. wax — to grow
  23. fine — high quality
  24. rule — government

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