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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 120 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: cap · stick · court · rest · rule · wound · degree · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rest — a break
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. degree — temperature
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. court — for sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. court — of a king
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rule — government
  20. cap — a lid
  21. court — of law
  22. rule — a law
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — of ice

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