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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: rule · prune · rest · nail · cabinet · date · ball · hand

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. rule — a law
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rule — government
  11. hand — help
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. ball — a dance
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. rest — what's left
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. prune — to trim
  18. hand — in cards
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rest — a break
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. date — the fruit

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