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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. ground — a position
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — a permit
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rule — a law
  10. stock — shares
  11. ground — crushed
  12. spring — a coil
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. charge — electricity
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ground — the earth
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — a price

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