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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: rule · cue · prune · safe · rest · present · pop · chair

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. pop — soda
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cue — a signal
  9. pop — music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cue — for pool
  13. rest — a break
  14. pop — to visit
  15. chair — a leader
  16. rest — what's left
  17. present — there
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. cue — a hint
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — a gift

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