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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: prune · chair · stick · key · racket · hide · ground · ruler

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. ground — crushed
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. chair — a leader
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ground — a position
  20. key — the most important part
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. key — in music
  23. ground — the earth
  24. key — for a lock

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