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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 124 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: hide · pass · drill · date · prune · chest · rule · present

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. prune — to trim
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. present — a gift
  7. drill — a practice
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rule — government
  10. pass — a permit
  11. rule — a law
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. present — the time now
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. drill — army training
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. date — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. present — there

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