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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. prune — to trim
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. prune — to trim
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — in control
  9. degree — temperature
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. rule — a law
  15. charge — a price
  16. rule — government
  17. cell — a phone
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. degree — an amount
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. hand — in cards
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. degree — from a university

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