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

Word bank: rest · kid · prune · fork · rule · cell · deal · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. kid — child
  3. fork — in a road
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rule — a law
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. rest — a break
  13. rule — government
  14. cell — in biology
  15. rest — what's left
  16. deal — to handle
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — a phone
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bowl — a dish

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