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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. rush — hurry
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. court — of law
  9. tube — a container
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. tube — the underground
  15. rule — government
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. race — humankind
  19. prune — to trim
  20. race — the arms race
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — for sport
  23. race — a contest
  24. tube — in a tire

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