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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: prune · face · fine · racket · patient · rule · ruler · chair

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. fine — all right
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. face — to confront
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. chair — a leader
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. fine — high quality
  12. prune — to trim
  13. face — to point toward
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. rule — government
  17. prune — to trim
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rule — a law
  23. face — part of the head
  24. fine — a penalty

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