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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rule — government
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. object — an aim
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bound — tied together
  8. prune — to trim
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. object — a thing
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. object — to protest
  15. rule — a law
  16. bound — obliged
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. game — a match
  20. bound — certain
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. game — wild animals

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