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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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Word bank
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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 · rule · object · foot · bat · track · fork · fine

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. object — to protest
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rule — a law
  11. foot — a measure
  12. object — a thing
  13. rule — government
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. track — a path
  16. fine — all right
  17. track — to keep track
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fine — high quality
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. object — an aim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bat — for baseball

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