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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: date · kid · ground · prune · pop · rule · roll · charge

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. pop — to visit
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. kid — to tease
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. rule — government
  10. charge — in control
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rule — a law
  14. pop — soda
  15. ground — a position
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ground — crushed
  18. roll — a cake
  19. charge — a price
  20. pop — music
  21. kid — child
  22. charge — electricity
  23. ground — the earth
  24. date — on the calendar

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